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Time of India
a day ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Opposition slams AMC over waterlogging
Ahmedabad: The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) recently completed work on the eastern trunk line, a major drainage infrastructure project, at a cost of Rs 93.40 crore. The civic body announced on July 22 that the project, in the eastern part of the city, would significantly reduce issues of drainage overflow and waterlogging. However, just a week after the project's completion, opposition leader Shehzad Khan Pathan raised concerns about its effectiveness. Addressing the media on Monday, Pathan said, "Despite the AMC's claim of completing the eastern trunk line, several areas in the eastern part of the city experienced severe waterlogging after just two days of rainfall." He further criticized the ruling BJP, which has governed the AMC for over two decades, for its alleged failure to resolve persistent monsoon-related problems. "The AMC had promised AI-enabled solutions to tackle water accumulation, but the ground reality remains unchanged," Pathan alleged. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad He also pointed out that only 59 km of stormwater drainage lines have been laid in the past 10 years, which, according to him, was inadequate for a rapidly growing urban area like Ahmedabad. In response, AMC standing committee chairman Devang Dani dismissed the allegations.
Time of India
22-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation altered design, defect liability, direction in 8 bridges, alleges Oppn
Ahmedabad: At Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation's (AMC) general body meeting on Monday, Opposition leader Shehzad Khan Pathan accused the civic body of altering the design, direction and defect liability on eight bridges in the city. He said, "Flyovers, railway overbridges, or underpasses built by AMC in the past decade have not been completed within stipulated timelines. In most cases, design was altered after work started, leading to significant cost overruns and project delays." Pathan said, "The CRRI-CSIR report suggested a four-lane flyover at the Income Tax junction, but AMC built a five-lane one. In 2013, the Ranip-GST crossing flyover was delayed. The flyover's descent was on 5,000sq m railway land, for which it was decided to compensate railways with land. After approving a flyover at Ajit Mill junction, the design was changed due to a main water trunk line passing underneath. The CRRI-CSIR report did not suggest a flyover at the Naranpura Pallav junction. An underpass was to be built there, but AMC built a flyover. An expenditure of Rs 18 to 20 crore was incurred to place overhead power lines underground." Citing the report commissioned by the central govt's CRRI-CSIR institution in 2011-12, Pathan said a split flyover with two lanes each, totalling four lanes, was suggested over a 120ft road from Vijay Crossroads to Nehru Nagar road via Gujarat University at the Navrangpura Panjarapol junction. However, a new report was obtained from IITRAM, and it was decided to construct a flyover on the road from Government Polytechnic College to IIM at the Panjarapol junction. On March 4, 2024, chief minister Bhupendra Patel inaugurated the Jalaram underpass in Paldi, but it was closed to the public within hours of being opened. It was inaugurated despite being incomplete. Initially pegged at Rs 45 crore, its cost escalated to Rs 83 crore, Pathan told the meeting. You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad He further said that on April 13, 2023, the standing committee approved the proposal for a flyover at Sattadhar Junction at a cost of Rs 81.49 crore with amendments. The committee initially set the defect liability at five years, which was later reduced to three years under pressure from the contractor, he alleged. The Hatkeshwar flyover bridge, set to be demolished after being unused for 1,000 days, is a symbol of corruption, Pathan said. He said, "Even after the CRRI-CSIR report, the direction of the flyovers was changed, and design alterations were made." To this, deputy mayor Jatin Patel responded, "There is no connection between the CRRI-CSIR report and the bridge design." There was a heated exchange between the opposition leader and the deputy mayor over the report issue.
Time of India
17-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
‘AMC bouncers misbehaving with citizens'
Ahmedabad: Opposition leader in Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, (AMC) Shehzad Khan Pathan, has alleged that bouncers hired by the civic body are misbehaving with citizens. AMC has spent Rs 244.84 crore on bouncers/security guards over the past 10 years, he said, adding, "On Wednesday, bouncers misbehaved with media personnel at the Southwest Zone office. We strongly condemn this and demand that the company supplying bouncers be blacklisted immediately." Twelve security agencies were contracted to supply security guards/bouncers at various AMC buildings, hospitals, gardens, and the riverfront. From 2015-16 to 2024-25, Rs 244.84 crore was paid to these agencies, Pathan said. There is no monitoring of security agencies, which operate without adhering to regulations, he said, adding that security guards/bouncers are being used to prevent citizens from presenting their issues, 'which is disgraceful'.TNN
Indian Express
09-07-2025
- Indian Express
Hatkeshwar Bridge in the heart of Ahmedabad city ‘unfit' for last three years
The collapse of a 43-year-old bridge in Gujarat's Vadodara that claimed several lives early Wednesday brought the Hatkeshwar Bridge under the spotlight. Built at a cost of Rs 40 crore to connect Khokhra and CTM crossroads in Ahmedabad, the bridge was closed for the public following multiple tender processes, owing to structural safety issues. More than three years later, it still stares at uncertainty. A short-term Rs 9 crore tender, issued last month, this time with a revised policy of issuing separate tenders for demolition and reconstruction, has attracted four bids. A decision is expected this month after approvals from the Standing Committee and the Roads and Buildings Committee of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation. This was the first single bid received for the demolition work and thus the tender was reissued in June — and this was the six tender issued since 2023. 'The work order of demolition of the bridge from the pile cap bottom level, once awarded, has to be completed within six months. This time, four companies have shown interest and thus a decision will be taken this month,' a senior AMC official told The Indian Express. The bridge was constructed during 2015-2017 by Ajay Engineering Pvt Ltd (AIEPL) with a defect liability of one year and was inaugurated in the year 2017. However, within three years, the first cracks developed on it in March 2021. Soon in 2022, it was closed for vehicular traffic after being found 'unsafe' by lab tests conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee and after Sardar Vallabhbhai National Institute of Technology (SVNIT) Surat confirmed the 'poor quality' of the bridge. In April 2023, then AMC Commissioner M Thennarasan announced the decision to demolish the bridge. Following a report, AIEPL and Project Management Consultant (PMC) SGS India Pvt Limited were blacklisted. Also, four AMC officers were suspended and departmental enquiries were initiated against them. An FIR was also filed for criminal conspiracy and fraud. Between 2023 and 2024, four tenders were issued by the same company to demolish and reconstruct the bridge. Rajasthan-based Vishnu Prakash R Punglia Limited had also applied for another tender, a fourth one, in August 2024 worth Rs 51.7 crore, but the company was not awarded the project after it failed technical evaluation. 'Even after the same company issued tenders four times for breaking and reconstruction (of the bridge), the AMC did not elicit the required response. The fourth time though, after modifications in the conditions, there were issues in the rates quoted and nobody took the risk (of repairing it),' a senior AMC official privy to the project told this paper. It was also revealed that the company had submitted its bid of Rs 118 crore against the tender of Rs 51.7 crore, more than double the estimated cost. The Leader of Opposition in the AMC, Shehzad Khan Pathan, has been repeatedly questioning the ruling BJP party over the 'poor quality' of the bridge and now the indecision. 'It has been 1,000 days and still the ruling government has not been able to act. Neither the bridge has been demolished nor constructed despite AMC having such experts and engineers. If this is the condition of Ahmedabad, being a smart city, one can imagine the situation in villages,' Pathan told this paper. Sources also revealed that the original contractor AIEPL was keen to reassign the work.
Time of India
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
In a month, city receives 5k complaints about road damage, potholes: Cong
Ahmedabad: City roads are once again bearing the brunt of the monsoon, transforming the city into a patchwork of potholes and damaged stretches. Opposition leader in the AMC Shehzad Khan Pathan said, "The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation spends over Rs 1,000 crore annually on building new roads, resurfacing old ones, and patchwork, yet the city has become a 'pothole city'. Between June 1 and June 30, citizens filed a record-breaking 5,033 online complaints about road issues. Of these, 3,264 complaints were about road damage, and 838 were about potholes. Primarily, there were 990 complaints from the West Zone, 743 from the Central Zone, and 734 from the North Zone. This figure only includes online complaints." He further added, "There are complaints about newly constructed roads getting damaged, potholes forming, roads collapsing, and gravel coming off the roads even with normal rainfall. These types of complaints recur every year, forcing some citizens to file public interest litigation in the high court to resolve the issues. Corruption in road works leads to road damage. Every year, experiments like dust-free roads, wall-to-wall roads, model roads, plastic roads, and white-topping roads are conducted, but quality roads are not built. " You Can Also Check: Ahmedabad AQI | Weather in Ahmedabad | Bank Holidays in Ahmedabad | Public Holidays in Ahmedabad He added, "We demand that high-quality roads be developed in the city and strict action be taken against corruption in road works."
