Ahmedabad, Nov 9 — Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday invoked his association with Ramapir no Tekro in Ahmedabad to target the Congress, accusing successive Congress governments of neglecting the settlement for decades and saying that residents were finally getting proper housing under the BJP governments.
Addressing a gathering during the inauguration of housing projects in the area, Shah said his political and social career had begun at Ramapir no Tekro in 1985.
Recalling his visits to the settlement, he said that the area then had rows of houses on either side of open drains, inadequate drinking water facilities, poor roads and little access to education for children.
"I often wondered how nearly 50,000 to 55,000 people living in Ramapir no Tekro and Gandhinagar Tekro managed their daily lives amid such conditions," he said.
Targeting the Congress, Shah said: "From 1947 to 1990, the Congress ruled the country and Gujarat, but it did not care about Ramapir no Tekro. The residents continued to vote for the Congress, but the party did not build houses for them."
He recalled that the BJP's first councillor from the area was elected in 1995 and said: "The party had since worked towards improving living conditions there."
Shah also referred to his election from the Sarkhej Assembly constituency in 2012, saying efforts to provide permanent housing to the residents had continued since then.
The Union Minister said he had personally visited the newly constructed houses and was satisfied with the quality of the accommodation.
"Compared with privately constructed flats, the homes had been provided with basic facilities, including fans," he added.
Under the housing projects inaugurated on Monday, 532 residential units and 16 shops have been constructed in Sector 5 at Ramapir no Tekro for Rs 47.14 crore. Another 644 houses have been built in Sector 1 at an expenditure of Rs 40.88 crore.
"Once the entire redevelopment project was completed, the residential complex would also have facilities for social security, recreation, reading, education and healthcare, benefiting more than 55,000 people," he said.
He noted that the improved living environment would give children from the settlement better access to education, reading and healthcare, allowing the next generation to pursue better opportunities.
Urging residents to prioritise their children's education, Shah said: "The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation had converted schools in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency into smart schools under the BJP's rule."
He also referred to the inauguration of two schools during the programme. Shah said the housing initiative was part of a broader effort to rehabilitate slum residents by providing them permanent homes at the same locations.
Claiming that nearly one lakh people in Ahmedabad had benefited from efforts to eliminate slums and provide housing to their residents, he credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with initiating the approach and Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel with taking it forward.
He congratulated the residents who had received their new homes and extended New Year greetings to them, saying the houses would provide a better foundation for their families.