Bad roads: Congress seeks vigilance probe

The Opposition Congress has demanded a vigilance probe in road projects alleging massive corruption by the ruling BJP. 

Gujarat Congress spokesperson Manish Doshi said that the annual budget of the eight municipal corporations, viz. Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara, Rajkot, Bhavnagar, Jamnagar, Junagadh and Gandhinagar, is close to Rs20,000 crore. 

He said that the eight municipal corporations in the state spend anywhere from Rs3,360 crore to Rs4,620 crore on road-related works every year. He said that Rs1,344-1,848 crore is spent on road resurfacing, whereas Rs2,016-2,772 crore is spent on construction of new roads each year. 

“The money spent on roads is about 20% of the total budget of the eight municipal corporations. The manner in which roads get washed away in just one or two inch of rainfall shows the massive corruption involved,” Doshi said, alleging that BJP leaders are filling their pockets in the name of providing facilities to the people.

Doshi said that amid claims of smart city, Ahmedabad and other cities have become ‘bhuva-nagaris’ (potholed cities), and demanded a vigilance inquiry against the BJP leaders.