Vadodara boat capsize kills 14: Arrested ex-town planner was sacked by VMC in 2004; his firm linked to Saryu redevelopment projects

The firm is a partner at M/s Kotia Projects whose owner Binit Kotia was also arrested by the SIT for not ensuring the safety checks at the lakefront developed by his firm for the VMC.

Planning Solutions engaged as a consultant for sewage line and storm water pipeline shifting works to make way for the Mumbai Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor. “He (Gopal Shah) was basically a coordinator on our behalf with the Municipal corporation and not involved in any main works (of the rail corridor),” a National High Speed Rail Corridor Limited spokesperson told The Indian Express.

The firm was also involved in the redevelopment of the ‘Parikrama Path’ of the Mahakali Temple at Pavagadh as well as the Saryu redevelopment project by the Uttar Pradesh government.

It also features on the list of contractors of Odisha Construction Corporation Ltd — an undertaking of the state government for the preparation of Detailed Project Reports (DPR), architectural designing and drawings of projects.

According to sources, Shah has also been involved in the redevelopment of the Bahucharaji Temple in Mehsana as well as the Umbergaon beach. He has also been an architectural consultant for VMC’s Ajwa Safari Park and implementing Town Planning schemes in Karjan, Shamlaji and several infrastructure projects in the periphery of the Statue of Unity.

Shah was catapulted to limelight in 2019 when the Gujarat High Court, in his plea against his abrupt termination as a town planner in 2004, directed VMC to pay “consequential benefits” to him “if no order of discontinuance (of his services) was passed” within three months.

The decision had come as Shah had reached the age of superannuation in October 2018 and so “reinstatement is not possible to be ordered by the court”, the HC order had stated. The court had also held that “all monetary consequences deserve to be paid to the petitioner by respondent authority in view of the fact that action of discontinuance is absolutely invalid”.

As per the litigation, Shah was appointed the town development officer (planning)  on a probation period of a year in an order dated December 28, 1999, while he was working on deputation as assistant town developer at Town Development branch.

On January 3, 2000, Shah was appointed as a Town Development Officer (Class ­II) in VMC and was relieved from the post of Assistant Town Developer by the Deputy Secretary, Urban Housing and Urban Development, Gujarat government. Upon successful completion of his probation  period on January 3, 2001, he was appointed the Town Development Officer (TP) in the officiating capacity (Aveji Nimnuk) as per a VMC order on April 26, 2001. Shah then applied for the post of the town planner, based on an advertisement of VMC. The task of selecting a competent person was entrusted by the VMC to M/s ST Shah and Company, and Gopal Shah stood at the first position on the merit list.

Soon, VMC appointed Gopal as a Town Planner for a one-year probation on January 18, 2003. However, although Shah’s probation period ended on January 17, 2004, the VMC in April 2004 recommended that Shah should be given an appointment in the officiating capacity.

A proposal of December 8, 2004 of the then Municipal Commissioner of the VMC before the General Board, stated, that his appointment be confirmed effective from January 1, 2005, as his performance “has been satisfactory”.

However, the General Board, which met on December 30, 2004, rejected the proposal stating, “The General Board took an independent view of the members and discussed the actions and work done by Gopaldas Shah during his tenure as a Town Planner of VMC during his probation period. The probation conditions were also considered and deliberated upon. After much consideration, the General Board has, in the interest of the VMC, decided to terminate the services of Gopal Das Shah at the end of his probation period on December 31, 2004.”

Notably, during his tenure, Shah had got into disagreements with BJP MLA Yogesh Patel, who is currently in his eighth term. Shah, who moved the High Court against the VMC decision to terminate him, had alleged in his petition that despite his “sincere” services, he was terminated “on account of political pressure” after “one local MLA Yogesh Patel…compelled the corporation then to convene a meeting on December 30, 2004”.

However, despite his termination from VMC, Shah continued to be awarded consultation projects by the civic body — the most recent one being in September 2023 where his Planning Solutions Private Limited was awarded an “outsourcing” contract for “architecture planning, structure design and supervision of various infrastructure projects” estimated to be “worth Rs 50 lakh and including projects worth between Rs 10 lakh to over Rs 5 crore”. Shah got into a partnership with Kotia in 2016.

Co-accused Paresh Shah, who was arrested along with Gopal Shah Thursday, is Gopal Shah’s co-brother. Paresh, who was earlier into the business of construction, runs a family-owned petrol pump beside the Harni Lake. Paresh’s son, Vatsal, who is also an accused in the case as a partner of M/s Kotia Projects, also runs a CNG gas station, while his daughter, who is also a co-accused partner of the M/s Kotia Projects, is a dentist. Paresh has been associated with various social organisations and is also a primary member of the BJP  in Vadodara.