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Advani satisfied with Modi Govt.

By Our Special Correspondent

The Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, with young patients after he inaugurated a Tuberculosis Research Bhavan and an ayurvedic hospital in Ahmedabad on Sunday. — PTI

AHMEDABAD June 16. Even as some Muslim organisations are planning to launch a dharna in Ahmedabad tomorrow to protest against the "inadequate'' efforts of the Gujarat Government to rehabilitate the riot victims, the Union Home Minister, L.K. Advani, has expressed "satisfaction'' over the performance of the Narendra Modi administration in this regard.

Talking to mediapersons here today, Mr. Advani said he was "satisfied'' with the progress made by the State Government in rehabilitating the riot victims and the affected people had started returning home. He claimed that at one time, about 1.50 lakh victims were living in 121 relief camps in various parts of the State but now it had come down to about 18,500 people in only 19 camps.

He said the remaining camps could be closed down because the people had returned home. To establish that normality had returned all over the State except for some parts of Ahmedabad, Mr. Advani said 12 relief camps were still running in Ahmedabad city providing shelter to 15,300 people. There were only about 3,200 people in seven camps in other parts of the State.

Expressing happiness that the State had by and large remained incident-free in the last four weeks except for some sporadic incidents in Ahmedabad, Mr. Advani, however, said it was not enough and asked the State Government, the social leaders and the people at large to work unitedly for restoring "harmony, amity and trust'' among the people for a lasting solution to the problem.

Unless the people developed confidence and trust in each other, real peace would never come. "It is a difficult task but all need to make concerted efforts to achieve the goal,'' he said.

Mr. Advani agreed that initially the riot victims were reluctant to return to their homes, but decided to leave the camps only after the State Government convinced them that they would continue to get financial help at their own places. "The government's efforts for rehabilitation is satisfactory,'' he added.

The Qaumi Relief Committee created recently to hold negotiations with the State Government for the relief and rehabilitation of the riot-affected Muslims, however, held a different view.

The committee has planned to hold a dharna in the city tomorrow to draw the Government's attention to its "broken promises and unfulfilled assurances.'' The committee general secretary, Shaukatkhan Pathan, said the dharna was in accordance with the "ultimatum'' the panel had given earlier to the Government to start implementing the promises given to it by the Chief Minister, Narendra Modi, earlier.

Even 15 days after the serving of the ultimatum, there was no improvement in the situation and the Government had not taken any step to show that it was keen to implement the promises given by Mr. Modi last month, Mr. Pathan said. "We have no other choice but to launch the dharna to remind the Government of its promises,'' he said.

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