• Amit Shah launches development projects worth approximately ₹1,400 crore in Ahmedabad.
• Ramapir No Tekro rehabilitation project to benefit more than 55,000 people.
• Gujarat urged to achieve the drug-free target by December 31, 2028.
• Drug-related complaints can be reported through the confidential 1033 helpline.

GG News Bureau
Ahmedabad, 9th Nov: Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated and laid foundation stones for development projects worth approximately ₹1,400 crore in Ahmedabad on Monday, while urging citizens to work towards making Gujarat drug-free by December 31, 2028.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and other dignitaries attended the event. Of the total projects, approximately ₹1,024 crore worth of works are being undertaken by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC), while projects worth around ₹400 crore are being implemented with support from the Gujarat and Central governments.

Highlighting urban development, Shah referred to the rehabilitation of slum residents at Ramapir No Tekro. He said the project would provide more than 55,000 people with access to housing, healthcare, education, recreational facilities and social security.

He also highlighted the construction of two primary schools and the transformation of schools in the area into smart schools.

Among the infrastructure projects, Shah laid the foundation stone for a pump house to address rainwater drainage issues in Bopal-Ghuma and the four-kilometre ISKCON overbridge. The Jalasapur Water Treatment Plant was also inaugurated.

Shah said development projects worth ₹25,000 crore had been completed in the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency over the past seven years. He reiterated his commitment to building a “Green Gandhinagar, Developed Gandhinagar” constituency.

Drug-Free Gujarat Push
Turning to the issue of substance abuse, Shah said the Modi government had set a national target of achieving a drug-free India by December 31, 2029, following its stated goal of a Naxal-free India. He urged Gujarat to achieve the target a year earlier, by December 31, 2028.

He asked citizens to report drug sales and consumption through the 1033 helpline, assuring that informants’ identities would remain confidential and strict action would follow.

Shah urged teachers to arrange testing and consult parents if they noticed changes in a child’s behaviour. He also called on parents and residents to report suspected drug-related activities in their neighbourhoods.

The Home Minister said de-addiction centres were being established for young people struggling with substance abuse. He stressed that seeking treatment should not be a source of shame and assured that the identities of those undergoing treatment would remain confidential.

He further announced that a dedicated control room would become operational from December 1, with a mechanism to ensure action within three hours of receiving drug-related information. He said the government had developed a scientific mechanism to target those involved in the drug trade.

Shah also administered a pledge to residents to contribute towards making Gujarat drug-free.

Concluding his address, the Home Minister extended Diwali and Gujarati New Year (Bestu Varas) greetings to the people of Gujarat.