Ahmedabad's ‘posh’ locality sans basic amenities

Posh is the word used to describe Navrangpura ward but the glamorous image gives way to disillusionment as soon as you drive into one of the area's inside roads.

This year's monsoon has left them completely washed out. You talk to the people here and you realise that this 'posh' area of the city actually faces several civic problems -inadequate solid waste management, potholed roads, and erratic supply of drinking water, to name but a few. Street dogs are a major menace here and, after the rains, mosquitoes have returned to life miserable for residents.

But the biggest problem in the area is acute shortage of parking space. Some of the biggest shopping malls of the city and many of its commercial areas fall within Navrangpura ward but finding parking space is a nightmare for visitors arriving in their private vehicles. Residents say that the BJP might have brought development but it has failed to address people's problems.

The BJP and the Congress are both banking on the ward's OBC voters as they hold around 22,000 votes. There are around 13,000 Jains, 6,000 Patels and 4,000 Bramhin voters in Navrangpura ward.