Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Saturday said no development project in the state would be allowed to remain stalled due to a shortage of funds, as the government announced development works worth more than Rs 1,848 crore in Gandhinagar. The package includes projects focused on roads, traffic management and urban infrastructure, along with a fresh allocation of Rs 48.26 crore for key works in the state capital.

Speaking at a programme where the projects were inaugurated or launched, Patel said Gujarat’s financial management had ensured that adequate funds were available for development. Of the Rs 1,848 crore package, Rs 798 crore comprises works being undertaken by the Gandhinagar Municipal Corporation, while Rs 1,050 crore has been allocated under the Roads and Buildings Department.

Patel urged citizens to communicate local requirements and pending development works to the municipal corporation so that necessary projects could be taken up promptly. He said the Centre and Gujarat governments had consistently pursued development with the common citizen and those at the last mile at the centre of their schemes. The Chief Minister also stressed that announcing welfare programmes was not enough and that their benefits had to reach every eligible beneficiary.

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Referring to the government’s saturation approach, Patel said efforts were being made to ensure complete coverage of eligible beneficiaries under schemes such as Ayushman, housing and Ujjwala, besides tap-water connections. He said the administration was proactively reaching beneficiaries instead of waiting for them to approach government offices. Patel also highlighted the transformation of Gandhinagar, saying projects that once took considerable time were now being implemented more rapidly.

The Chief Minister referred to GIFT City as an example of Gujarat’s development, noting that an initiative that had initially surprised some people had now emerged as a global financial hub. He also stressed the need to balance infrastructure expansion with environmental protection, saying sustainable development could not come at the cost of the environment. Tree plantation, lake interlinking, water replenishment, recharge borewells and expansion of library facilities in villages were among the measures he cited for environmental conservation, water management and community development.

Among the newly announced Gandhinagar projects are Rs 20.76 crore for an underpass at Bhat-Koteshwar Crossing, Rs 12.80 crore to strengthen the Sabarmati bridge from Raksha Shakti Circle towards GIFT City-Shahpur, and Rs 7.70 crore for junction and road development between GIFT City and PDPU. Another Rs 7 crore has been allocated for road-safety and paver works between Raksha Shakti Circle and GIFT City Circle. Patel also flagged off around 30 new e-buses under the PM-eBus Sewa and travelled in one of the buses with Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi, MLAs, the mayor and municipal office-bearers.

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