Surat First project given a quiet burial

This objective was to be achieved by involving public-private partnership. The corporation also held two meetings on June 17 and July 12 last year, which was attended by several NGOs and leading citizens of the city assuring their whole-hearted support to the project.

Top priority was accorded to traffic management, sanitation, welcome gates, gardens, plantation, water huts, installation of dust bins and health awareness programmes. The civic body received 180 proposals in writing with offers ranging from developing traffic islands, maintenance of dispensaries, garden and slums among others. Sadly, all that is history now.

Senior officials admit that there has been no follow up, but pass on the buck to the civic chief. They say he is not interested in the project. The municipal commissioner, on the day he took charge, said that all projects started by Rao would be continued, but has overnight forgotten them, they say.

Standing committee chairman Natu Soma Patel says the commissioner has no time to pursue proposals submitted by various organisations and individual as he is busy fighting with the elected wing. 8220;His priorities have changed. He is only interested in creating controversies and finding faults with others8221;, Patel alleges.

Technical Advisor P C Shah says the project is not being followed up with the same vigour as during Rao8217;s time. But then, he says, idealism is always short lived. We don8217;t expect people to be enthusiastic all the time for the project.

Observers say after Rao left, there has been no meeting to review the progress of the project. A meeting can be called by either the commissioner or the mayor, they say. When contacted, Mayor Navneet Jariwala said the SMC had given up the project. 8220;We were not able to follow up the project as we were busy with elections, but I shall convene a meeting to review the progress.8221;

A senior official says with Jagadeesan at the helm of affairs, the project seems to have become a mirage. Jagadeesan has also withdrawn powers given to zonal officers by Rao, the official points out.

Former mayor Ajit Desai says the SMC should have followed up the proposals submitted to the civic body. It is really sad that the commissioner has washed his hands of the project, he says. Though Director of Planning R D Desai has been made in-charge of the project, he has virtually no powers, he points out.

When contacted, Desai said the proposals have to be followed up at zonal level where, according to SMC sources, 78 projects are yet to take off. Even the proposers are said to be losing interest. Parag Sarees, Mohan Kakadia, the Indian Oil Corporation, the Rander Adjan Builders Association, among others, who had submitted proposal, are said to have developed cold feet.

At this pace, says a senior official, SMC8217;s dream of providing civic amenities to all by 2000 will just remain like that a dream.