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Riot-hit areas being spruced up ahead of President's visit

Raman Narayan in Ahmedabad

The Gujarat government is working round-the-clock to spruce up the riot-hit areas of Naroda-Patia and Juhapura in Ahmedabad to be toured by President Abdul Kalam during his two-day visit of the state.

After seeing scanty government attention in the post-riot period these areas are now buzzing with activity.

At the Haj House, a relief camp, which is one of the stoppages to be made by Kalam during his visit and at Naroda-Patia riot victims were being distributed cheques of compensation till late on Sunday night.

"This is all an eye-wash," Mohammad Hussain Shaikh, one of the camp inmates, said.

Shaikh added, "What 86 deaths could not accomplish, Kalam's visit has. Our broken homes are being patched up with alacrity; we are being given the long-pending compensation amounts. But be sure soon as the President leaves, the focus will once again shift and we will be left to fend for ourselves as usual."

The government is also taking no chances by detaining 'possible trouble-makers' who could soil the spruced-up image that the administration wants the President to see.

At 2300 hours on Sunday night Sharief Khan Pathan, the financier of the Shah-e-Alam Roza Dargah relief camp, was 'picked up' by officials of the city crime branch from his business office near the camp.

The Joint Commissioner of Police (crime branch) P P Pande clarified: "We have detained Pathan only till the President's visit is over. This move is to prevent him from raking up any trouble."

Khan has been typecast as a 'trouble-maker' when he allowed a large number of riot-affected persons of Naroda-Patia (an area which saw 86 persons being lynched, then burnt alive on February 28) at the relief camp to vent their ire against the government in front of the Chief Election Commissioner J M Lyngdoh during his visit to the city.

Lyngdoh was also given a loud send-off by the relief camp inmates when they shouted anti-election slogans.

The sites to be visited by the President A P J Abdul Kalam are also being meticulously checked and re-checked by a special team of city police since Sunday.

Gauging the threat-perception on Kalam's visit, the authorities are strictly following the rulebook while providing security cover for the President.

While he himself will be travelling in a bulletproof car, anti-sabotage squads have combed the areas that Kalam would visit during his tour of Ahmedabad.

Metal detectors and special sensors have been used to check for bombs that may be at the spots. The 70-km-long route to be taken by Kalam during his visit thus is now crawling with policemen and paramilitary forces.

Kalam arrives at Ahmedabad airport at 1420 hours. He is scheduled to reach Sabarmati ashram at 1445 hours and then will go the Raj Bhawan annexe at 1525 hours to freshen up.

Kalam will be with riot-victims of Naroda-Patia between 1555 hours to 1725 hours. From there he will go to Haj house, a riot relief camp set up about a month back, at 1745 hours.

The President will reach the camp in Juhapura at 1845 hours and thereafter will be in Gandhinagar for an official dinner at 2020 hours. He leaves Ahmedabad for Bhuj by flight 0750 hours on Tuesday.

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