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Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Vadodara climbs rankings, gets ‘Promising City' recognition
Vadodara: Climbing up the cleanliness rankings, Vadodara secured the 18th position in the Swachh Survekshan 2024 among cities with a population of over 10 lakh. The city scored 10,713 out of 12,500 points and was also recognised among 12 urban centres as a 'Promising Swachh Shehar'. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The improvement comes after the city ranked 33rd last year. Officials noted that Vadodara's performance still fell short of its earlier rankings — eighth in 2021 and 14th in 2022 — reflecting a dip from its past achievements. To reverse the downward trend, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) had engaged a consultancy firm that previously worked with the Indore Municipal Corporation, a consistent top performer in the survey. Despite steps taken by the civic body in waste management and processing, the results have been inconsistent. V MC officials pointed out that the changing parameters and methodology of the Swachh Survekshan surveys over the years made direct comparisons difficult. They said factors such as documentation, public feedback and revised survey formats play a bigger role in rankings than visible cleanliness alone. In this year's survey, the city lost marks in the garbage-free city assessment and other survey parameters — shortcomings officials acknowledged were visible on the ground. In response, the VMC has initiated stricter measures, including fines, to address sanitation lapses. Standing committee chairman Sheetal Mistry, who received the award in Delhi alongside senior VMC officials, expressed optimism about future rankings. He said ongoing efforts such as developing refuse transport stations and a material recovery facility will significantly improve the city's performance. "The Promising Swachh Shehar award itself is an acknowledgment of Vadodara's potential to do better," he said.
Time of India
30-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
VMC releases book on Green Bonds issue at Sebi event
Vadodara: The successful issuing of Green Bonds by the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has become a case study for other civic bodies in the country. The VMC has come up with a book titled 'The Green Book', which can be a guide for those wanting to study the process and utilization of the bonds. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The bond issue of the civic body, which opened on March 1, 2024, was oversubscribed, getting bids amounting to Rs 1,460 crore. It was brought out with the help of the US Treasury office and Deloitte and is considered a landmark in the history of municipal finance using bonds. These bonds were the most subscribed municipal bonds ever in the country. The Green Book, drafted with Deloitte, provides detailed information about how the civic body went about the process of bringing out the bonds. It also talks about the challenges faced by the civic body. The booklet was released at a workshop for municipal corporations organized by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) on 'pool financing' and 'being market ready'. "The event focused on alternative and smart initiatives to raise money for municipal projects," said VMC standing committee chairman Sheetal Mistry. The workshop was attended by mayor Pinki Soni, VMC commissioner Arun Mahesh Babu, chief accountant Santosh Tiwari and others.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Gabion walls planned for 12 Vishwamitri bridges to curb erosion
Vadodara: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will construct gabion walls around the pillars of 12 bridges on the Vishwamitri river to protect their foundations from being weakened by soil erosion. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The initiative follows recommendations by a high-level committee formed by the state govt to suggest flood mitigation measures. Last year's floods led to erosion at several locations, even as the VMC undertook extensive re-sectioning of the riverbanks. Dredging work along the banks is also expected to cause further erosion, prompting the need for bank stabilisation efforts. To safeguard the structural integrity of bridges during future floods, the state-appointed committee recommended the construction of gabion walls around bridge pillars. These stone-filled mesh structures prevent soil erosion around the foundations, ensuring the stability and support of the pillars. The VMC will build gabion walls at 12 bridges across the city. A consultant was appointed for the project, and tenders were floated. The civic body's tender committee has finalised a contractor, approving a budget of Rs 36.7 crore — 14.13% below the estimated cost of Rs 42.74 crore. The civic body's standing committee discussed and approved the proposal on Friday, with additional conditions. One of the key conditions is that the work must comply with the Indian Standards (IS) code. "The defect liability period was initially set at three years, but it was extended to five years," said Standing Committee chairman Sheetal Mistry. Protection walls for buildings near river The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will construct gabion walls at 12 locations along the Vishwamitri river to prevent future soil erosion from affecting buildings situated on its banks. The civic body will spend Rs 36.42 crore on these protective structures. As with the bridge-related project, the VMC's standing committee has approved the proposal with certain conditions — the work must adhere to the IS code, and the defect liability period has been set at five years.
Time of India
20-06-2025
- General
- Time of India
VMC to deploy 200 contract swimmers for monsoon rescue operations
Vadodara: For the first time in its history, the Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will engage 200 swimmers on contract for monsoon rescue operations, following a proposal cleared by the standing committee on Friday. The initiative comes in the wake of last year's unprecedented floods and aims to strengthen the city's emergency response system. The swimmers will be deployed for three months starting in July and will function as rescue volunteers under the fire department. According to officials, the swimmers will be hired through a contractor rather than directly by the civic body. A Mehsana-based agency has been selected for the task, and VMC will pay Rs 95.58 lakh for providing the trained personnel. "This is the first time swimmers are being brought in through such a contractual arrangement," said Sheetal Mistry, chairman of the standing committee. "The administration had earlier considered hiring them directly, but we eventually agreed to engage them through an agency." The civic body has already undertaken significant work on the Vishwamitri river, stormwater drains, ponds, reservoirs, and recharge wells, but officials said they were not willing to take any risks during the upcoming monsoon. VMC typically employs skilled workers, including some fire department drivers, through agencies on a daily-wage basis. The same system will be used to engage the swimmers.
Time of India
05-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Seven more test positive for Covid-19 in city, active cases touch 39
Surat/Vadodara: Seven more people tested positive for Covid-19 in the Surat Municipal Corporation (SMC) area on Thursday, bringing the total number of cases to 89, with 39 active cases. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The cases include senior citizens, a judge, and returning travellers, though all are reported to be in stable condition. Seven are hospitalised, of whom two require oxygen support. Among the newly infected is a 77-year-old retired male from Vesu with a history of high blood pressure, currently under home isolation care. A 71-year-old homemaker from Ghoddod Road, who has both thyroid and blood pressure issues, is also being treated at home and is stable. A 38-year-old female judge from Athwalines, who recently returned from Dwarka on May 25, tested positive. She is under home isolation and responding well to treatment. Other cases include a 24-year-old employed male from Lal Darwaja with a thyroid condition, a 52-year-old diabetic male from Palanpur Jakatanaka, a 40-year-old homemaker from Varachha who returned from Uttar Pradesh on May 25, and a 56-year-old diabetic female social worker from Parle Point who returned from Kolhapur on June 1. As per govt protocol, all patients' samples have been sent to the Gujarat Biotechnology Research Centre (GBRC), Gandhinagar, for genome sequencing to detect any emerging variants. In Vadodara city, six Covid-19 cases were reported in the 24 hours ending Thursday evening — the first in the ongoing wave. All patients showed flu-like symptoms and are under home isolation. According to sources, the infections are sub-variants of the Omicron strain, with low hospitalisation rates. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Of the six, four are from the west zone and one each from the east and north zones. Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) standing committee Chairman Sheetal Mistry said the majority of the population was previously exposed to Covid-19 and vaccinated, which has kept symptoms mild. "There is no need to panic, but people should remain cautious and take necessary precautions," he said. Mistry added that testing and isolation facilities are available at SSG Hospital and GMERS Hospital, Gotri. Both hospitals are equipped with oxygen support, ICU, and ventilators.
