Ghaziabad is an industrial city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located about 1.5 km east of the Hindon River at latitude 28� 40' north and longitude 77� 25' east. It is 19 km east of Delhi and 46 km southwest of Meerut. The city houses the headquarters of the Ghaziabad district. It was initially part of the Meerut district after independence, till the time when � due to some political intervention � Ghaziabad was separated and given a new district status. The reason cited was that it would be easier to manage if a big district like Meerut were divided into two parts, though it has been stated that the true motivation was political. According to Government of India, the district Ghaziabadis one of the Minority Concentrated District in India on the basis of the 2001 census data on population, socio-economic indicators and basic amenities indicators.