industry during the same period. In 1974 the Nav Nirman agitation - a protest against a 20% hike in the hostel food fees at the L.D. College of Engineering in Ahmedabad - snowballed into a movement to remove Chimanbhai Patel, then chief minister of Gujarat. In the 1980s, a reservation policy was introduced in the country, which led to anti-reservation protests in 1981 and 1985. The protests witnessed violent clashes between people belonging to various castes. On 26 January 2001 a devastating earthquake struck the city, centred near Bhuj, measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale. As many as 50 multistorey buildings collapsed, killing 752 people and devastating the city's infrastructure. The following year, Gurajat violence between Hindus and Muslims spread to Ahmedabad, paralysing the city for more than two months. The crisis resulted in the deaths of an estimated 1,044 people across the state. The displacement of thousands of Muslims led to the erection of refugee camps around the city.
On 26 July 2008 a series of seventeen bomb blasts rocked the city, killing and injuring several people. Islamic militant group Harkat-ul-Jihad-al-Islami claimed responsibility for the attacks.
The effects of liberalisation of the Indian economy has energised the city's economy towards tertiary sector activities like commerce, communication and construction activities. Ahmedabad's population is growing, which has resulted in an increase in the construction and housing industries
