Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday emphasised making amenities and facilities in cities and metropolitan areas citizen-centric, transparent, accountable and technology-driven. The chief minister highlighted that as a result of sound financial management under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, there is now no shortage of funds for public welfare works in cities and metropolitan areas.
Additionally, people can see the public welfare works being undertaken, and improved ease of living has also raised their expectations for further development works. According to Gujarat CMO, "While addressing the ceremony, the Chief Minister distributed cheques worth a total of Rs 3,850 crore to the municipal corporations and municipalities of the state for holistic development works. The cheques were distributed in the presence of Urban Development and Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai, Agriculture Minister Jitu Vaghani, Minister of State for Urban Development Darshana Vaghela and Deputy Chief Whip Jagdish Makwana."
On this occasion, the Chief Minister urged elected representatives, commissioners and chief officers of municipal corporations and municipalities to ensure optimum utilisation of funds for maximum quality public welfare works aimed at improving urban amenities.
Under the Swarnim Jayanti Mukhyamantri Shaheri Vikas Yojana, he allocated Rs 2,992 crore to 17 municipal corporations and Rs 858 crore to 152 municipalities for development works. During the cheque distribution programme, Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation received the highest allocation of Rs 870 crore, while Surat Municipal Corporation received Rs 770 crore.
Vadodara Municipal Corporation was allocated Rs 285 crore, Rajkot Rs 232 crore, Bhavnagar Rs 105 crore and Jamnagar Municipal Corporation Rs 105 crore. Similarly, Junagadh and Gandhinagar Municipal Corporations received Rs 65 crore each. In addition, Rs 55 crore each was presented to the cities of Gandhidham, Navsari, Porbandar, Surendranagar, Mehsana, Vapi, Nadiad, Anand and Morbi.
For the development of municipal areas, a total of Rs 307.50 crore has been allocated to 41 Class-A municipalities and Rs 221 crore to 34 Class-B municipalities. A grant of R 270 crore has been provided to 60 Class-C municipalities and Rs 59.50 crore to 17 Class-D municipalities. The chief minister said that along with planning new works, the condition of old and completed works should also be taken care of. Not only this, elected representatives and officials should jointly conduct site visits of the works to ensure that all works undertaken are of high quality. He directed that newly constructed roads in cities should be made of RCC and also said that special attention must be given to cleanliness.
He also suggested taking strict action against negligence regarding cleanliness. Advocating the creation of environment-friendly cities by increasing green cover, CM emphasised that the state government has decided to compulsorily reserve around one per cent of land in newly developed TP Schemes for tree plantation. He said that it is necessary to implement this for public welfare through the development of gardens, oxygen parks and other such facilities.
He said that the Prime Minister laid a strong foundation for urban development by increasing fund allocations for urban development during the celebration of Urban Development Year in 2005. This foundation has since been strengthened through comprehensive development works. He added that while urban development budgets earlier amounted to just three to four lakh rupees, today a robust system has been established under which grants worth crores of rupees are allocated for development works in a single day. He also urged elected representatives to lead the development of cities as a foundation for Viksit Gujarat and Viksit Bharat.
Addressing the gathering, Urban Development Minister Kanubhai Desai highlighted that under the leadership of the Chief Minister, no development work in cities has been stalled due to lack of funds, but it is necessary to take special care to ensure that these works are of higher quality. Development works in cities should be undertaken keeping climate change in mind. He said that under the 'Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam' initiative, efforts must be intensified to make cities greener. He said that by collectively taking forward the Prime Minister's call for the 'Swachhata Abhiyan', we can make our cities cleaner. He further emphasised that with around 70 to 75 per cent of the population expected to live in cities by 2047, it is essential to ensure well-planned and quality development work from now onwards.
Minister of State for Urban Development Darshana Vaghela, in her welcome address, said that the primary objective of the tradition of allocating grants for urban development initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi is to enhance the well-being of urban citizens. She emphasised that to realise the vision of 'Atmanirbhar Bharat', Swadeshi Melas for local artisans and artists, as well as zone-wise workshops for the disposal of solid waste, have also been planned. She expressed hope that by accelerating the Chief Minister's mission of 'Quality Work' and 'Swachh Gujarat', Gujarat would achieve the top position in the country not only in development but also in cleanliness.
During the programme, Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel unveiled the coffee table books titled "20 Years of Urban Development" and "Anant Anadi Vadnagar: Varsa thi Vikas ni Gaurav Gatha". On this occasion, Gandhinagar Mayor Meeraben Patel, Principal Secretary of the Urban Development Department M Thennarasan, Managing Director of Gujarat Urban Development Company Remya Mohan, CEO of Gujarat Municipal Finance Board Vina Patel, elected representatives of various municipal corporations, commissioners, presidents of municipalities, chief officers, officials, and invitees were present.
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