Gujarat Pushes Greater Accountability As Civic Bodies Track Completed Works

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday directed elected representatives and officials of municipal corporations and municipalities to monitor the condition of completed development works alongside planning new projects, stressing effective use of public funds and quality execution.

Addressing a ceremony in Gandhinagar where development grants totalling Rs 3,850 crore were distributed to urban local bodies, Patel urged civic authorities to ensure that availability of funds translates into durable and high-quality public infrastructure. He directed elected representatives and officials to jointly conduct site visits and assess whether completed projects continue to meet required standards.

Patel also instructed urban local bodies to ensure that newly constructed roads in cities and municipal corporation areas are built using reinforced cement concrete (RCC). He stressed the need for greater attention to cleanliness in urban areas and urged authorities to take strict action against negligence. The Chief Minister also called for increased green cover and better use of land reserved for tree plantation.

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According to Patel, the state government has decided to reserve around one per cent of land in newly developed town planning schemes for tree plantation. He urged civic bodies to use the provision for developing gardens, parks and oxygen parks that can benefit residents. He also noted that growing citizen expectations reflected improvements in ease of living and the increasing visibility of public development works.

Urban Development and Finance Minister Kanu Desai noted that development projects in Gujarat's cities were not being held up because of a shortage of funds. He stressed, however, that civic authorities must give special attention to the quality of works. Desai also urged urban local bodies to factor climate change into infrastructure planning and strengthen efforts to make cities greener under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ initiative.

The urban local bodies received the Rs 3,850 crore allocation under the Swarnim Jayanti Chief Minister Urban Development Scheme. Of the total amount, Rs 2,992 crore was allocated to 17 municipal corporations and Rs 858 crore to 152 municipalities. Patel noted that Gujarat's urban development spending had grown significantly over the years, with civic bodies moving from budgets measured in lakhs to allocations running into crores for development works.

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