Project clearance spree ahead of MCC: Opposition ‘marshalled’, Surat Municipal Corporation nod for proposals worth Rs 1,045 cr

BJP councillor Amit Singh Rajput said the AAP councillors were ousted because of their unruly behaviour. “They (AAP councillors) were creating problems, raising unnecessary issues, during the discussion on different proposals in the general board meeting. Mayor madam had requested them to behave properly, but they continued (the ruckus). At different stages they were allowed to speak and when it was intolerable, the security guards were called to take them out amid the general board meetings.”

However, AAP councillors alleged that the Mayor did not let them speak during the Zero hour Friday.

“In the general board meeting, 93 proposals were put into discussion. Two hours before the general board meeting, we demanded a list of the works from the Mayor but she denied. We also requested that the opposition leaders should be allowed to speak in the zero hours. The Mayor—the chairperson of the general board meeting—did not allow us to speak in the zero hour. We are being denied our rights. We feel Hemali Boghawala is Mayor of the BJP and not of Surat city,” said Dharmesh Bhanderi, AAP councillor and Leader of Opposition.

He claimed that the AAP members were not allowed to speak when they were trying to highlight an issue involving an alleged allotment of SMC plot to a builder. “A few days ago, around five BJP councillors had given us information that their party leaders had allotted a valuable SMC plot to a ‘friend’ builder. The decision was taken in the recent town planning committee meeting. The allotment had left SMC with a loss of Rs 40 crore. The five BJP councillors wanted us to raise the issue in the general board meeting. However, we were not allowed to speak and were forcefully driven out from the conference room with the help of security officials,” Bhanderi said.

SMC approved 86 development proposals worth Rs 675 crore for primary facilities, including Rs 374 crore for water, Rs 220 crore for road and Rs 75 crore for drainage. Another 35 development works worth Rs 279 crore were approved for building new schools, a steel road project and a solid waste processing plant at Khajod for Rs 213 crore.

The approved works also include seven proposals worth Rs 27.29 crore in the health sector and maintenance work worth Rs 63.18 crore for the buildings and offices of SMC.

“The state assembly election dates might be announced soon. So, we have approved 284 proposals of Rs 1,045 crore on a single day which has not happened in the history of SMC. With the Model Code of Conduct kicking in soon, we won’t be able to do much in the next two months. Hence, we cleared all the proposals in a single meeting. We don’t want people to suffer. There is a rise in the demand for water, as many new areas have been added to the existing limit of civic organisation,” said SMC standing committee chairman Paresh Patel.

Similarly, the standing committee of the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) Friday cleared 11 road repair projects approximately worth Rs 100 crore. A day before, the civic body laid foundation stones of 12 projects worth Rs 43.24 crore and inaugurated three projects worth Rs 15.21 crore in ceremonies presided over by MP Ranjan Bhatt and other elected members of the city.

The three inaugurated works included a Solid Waste Management project and two water supply projects of laying new networks in Bhayali TP Scheme as well as New Sama Road. Among the 12 groundbreaking projects were seven related to drainage and four road projects.

The decision to conduct the groundbreaking ceremony and inaugurations was taken Wednesday, in anticipation of the announcement of elections for the Assembly polls.

“The roads need urgent repairs and it has been an ongoing process… The decision to have one mega event to kick-start the work of carpeting roads and other civic issues was of the elected wing with an eye on polls. If MCC comes into place, the civic body will not be able to commission new works and repairing roads is essential. Similarly, crucial water projects and drainage projects needed to be completed during this time,” said an official.

On Saturday, Mayor Keyur Rokadia will also inaugurate the ‘Freedom Park’, constructed under the Fatehgunj flyover as well as the Walk-in Aviary of Sayajibaug zoo, built at a cost of Rs 14.21 crore.