The largest Muslim ghetto in the state with a population of over three lakh continues to wait for basic civic amenities including drinking water for last three decades.

“Vejalpur, Jivraj Park and Juhapura began to develop 30 years ago. While Vejalpur and Jivraj Park have grown into a posh locality with all civic facilities, schools, dispensaries, hospitals, Juhapura is reduced to the status of a slum, not being provided even clean drinking water,” said Congress corporator from Dariapur Hasan Lala.

Earlier, the Ahmedabad Urban Development Agency (AUDA) which had the responsibility to look after the basic development in the are did not do much, now it is the turn of the AMC to neglect it for the last three years.

This monsoon, the roads and streets in Juhapura are full of filth as the locality lacks proper drainage lines and pucca roads.

“School children and women have to wade through stagnant rain water,” said local social activist Ibrahim Sheikh.

There are no government institutions, schools, colleges, dispensaries or other health facilities, hostels, community centres, gardens or sport facilities in the locality spread in a stretch from Vishala Circle to Sarkhej. The entire area is without streetlights. However, it has got a police station, two police chowkies, an SRP point, an office of the Assistant Commissioner of Police and an SOG interrogation centre.

“While residents of Makarba, Vejalpur and Gupta Nagar located around Juhapura get Narmada water supply from Jaspur scheme, Juhapura has been left out of it,” said former Physical Research Laboratory scientist M U Khan living in the area. The residents of the area depend on underground water containing high TDS levels. Even government and Gujarat State Road Transport Corporation (GSRTC) buses were ordered not to ply through Juhapura a few years ago though the area had remained peaceful.

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