Wednesday, July 04, 2007

At last a bank for Juhapura: Muslim dominated locality in Ahmedabad had no bank till now

Juhapura, a Muslim dominated locality in Ahmedabad, has a population of 2.5 lakh but had no bank.

The residents spoke to the government officials and banks.

The State Level Bankers' Committee (SLBC) mulled over the issue several times.

It took correspondence up to the level of Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram and a copy to Prime Minister, before things seemed to set in motion.

Now the residents hope to get a bank soon in their area--after 16 long years. The area had a bank till 1991-92 but was closed due to riots.

Though it is not very surprising given the fact that the area lacks in schools and medical facilities. Dena Bank is now going to open a branch here, reports Syed Khalique Ahmed in Indian Express.

The full report can be seen here. The report also informs us that Juhapura, which is termed the biggest Muslim ghetto of Gujarat, had got its name after a Hindu inhabitant: Juha Thakur.


Though Juhapura has emerged as a predominantly Muslim domimated area, a few Hindu families still live here.

However, they are mostly poor vendors and road-side sellers who have no option, as they can't afford to buy house outside.

Meanwhile, read another post about Ahmedabad. Five year's after Wali Gujarati's tomb was flattened in his own Gujarat, Nasiruddin visits the place and writes a passionate piece on his blog Dhai Akhar. Click.