Don’t be a BJP spokesperson, Congress tells AMC boss

The general board meeting of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation was a stormy affair - as is usually the case with such meetings of the civic body.

This time the meeting saw some heated exchange between former mayor and Congress corporator Himmatsinh Patel and municipal commissioner IP Gautam. The municipal commissioner was termed as a spokesperson of the BJP by Patel after the former stated that the rise in attack on AMC's muster station had something to do with elections and not with civic problems.

Patel had spoken of the increase in attack on such stations due to lack of adequate civic amenities for the people. Leader of Opposition in the AMC Surendra Baxi also aggressively pointed out the inefficient work of the AMC officials. He pointed out the unsatisfactory results of drainage and storm water line work for which the civic body spent Rs700 crore.

"All areas where the AMC has completed storm water drainage line work still records heavy waterlogging. The AMC wasted public money on these projects but they are hardly of any help to the citizens," said Baxi.

Patel said residents of Sabarmati, Paldi, Vasna, Ambawadi, Manekbaugh, Nehrunagar and LD college (areas were the stormwater drainage line work was done) have to still wade through knee-deep water.

The Congress leaders pointed out that the AMC might have undertaken ambitious civic works but lack of adequate inspection has got them poor result. Gautam, who patiently listens to the tiff between the elected wing members, chose to explain the matter. He told the Congress members that they do not have enough background knowledge of the stormwater drainage line and that areas which saw waterlogging for 10 hours got cleared within 5 hours.

This did not go well with Patel who said that the commissioner's knowledge about the real situation is far from reality.  Patel said that it was the lack of proper civic amenities that irked citizens and resulted in rise in attacks on AMC's muster stations. To this Gautam said the attacks were politically motivated.

"Incidents of attack on AMC have increased because municipal election are inching close," he said.

Patel was prompt in his reply.

"Sahib, you don't act as BJP's spokesperson. You sit in an air-conditioned chamber and issue orders. It is we who interact with citizens and thus are familiar with their problem," said Patel.