Gujarat govt appoints OSD for Rs 1,200 crore redevelopment of Sabarmati Ashram

Taking a step closer towards developing Sabarmati Ashram into a "world class memorial", the Gujarat government has appointed a retired IAS officer to the Executive Council, constituted for the project earlier this year, as an officer on special duty (OSD) for a period of one year.

The state government has earmarked Rs 1,200 crore for the Gandhi Ashram Memorial and Precinct Development Project, which aims to redevelop the Ashram into its original state, when it was established back in 1917 by Mahatma Gandhi in Ahmedabad on the bank of Sabarmati river. The master planner of the project is city-based architect Bimal Patel, who is also designing the new parliament in Delhi.

"The services of I K Patel, IAS (Rtd) are placed at the disposal of Industries & Mines Department (Tourism, Devasthanam management, Civil Aviation & Pilgrimage) for contractual appointment as Officer on Special Duty to the Executive Council, Sabarmati-Gandhi Ashram Memorial Project for a period of one year..." state a notification issued by the state government dated June 7.

Earlier in March, the state government had passed a resolution for setting up an executive council and a governing council. Executive council is for ensuring coordination between the governing council and the implementation body while the government council, headed by chief minister Vijay Rupani, is supposed to ensure coordination between government bodies and formal and information stakeholders of the project.

The redevelopment of Sabarmati Ashram aims at integrating over 35-acres of its campus which has 63 heritage properties established during Gandhi's lifetime. After independence, the Ashram was divided into five trusts- Sabarmati Ashram Preservation and Memorial Trust (SAPMT), Sabarmati Ashram Gaushala Trust, Harijan Ashram Trust, Harijan Sevak Sangh and Khadi Gramodyog Prayog Samiti. SAPMT manages Sabarmati Ashram, popular among tourists, that houses Hriday Kunj where Gandhi lived during his stay.

In the plan, around 200 families, mostly dalits, who are descendents of Ashramites who settled with Gandhi, are also likely to be evicted from their current homes and rehabilitated in the periphery of the larger Ashram. Some of the residents had protested against the plan. After several rounds of negotiations, most of the residents are said to have come to a settlement.

Earlier this year, over 50 such residents were taken to the circuit house where master planner Bimal Patel gave them a presentation on redevelopment plans and their possible scheme for relocation.