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ShareAhmedabad, Ahmedabad: Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is planning to hand over the gymnasiums and swimming pools to the private contractors for operation under public private partnership (PPP) model. However, the BJP, party in power in the civic body, is anything but unanimous on the issue. The party leaders in the civic body have difference of opinion over whether the AMC should opt for more partnership with private players.
Some BJP leaders, including the party leader in AMC Dr Kamlesh Patel, strongly believe that public private partnership is a must for the development. Patel said the people might not accept this policy at present, but in future it would be essential. "Ten years down the line the people will have to accept this concept," he said.
It should be recalled that Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Services (AMTS), the transport body of the AMC, has already brought private buses on the city roads.
Chairman of AMTS Pravin Patel, however, is not too happy with the results. "The image of AMTS has suffered because of its partnership with private players," said Pravin Patel, adding that cases of accidents have been on the rise ever since the private buses were added to the AMTS fleet.
The reason may be that the civic body's transport wing does not have a direct control over the drivers of the private buses running on the city roads under the banner of AMTS. Though AMTS has made efforts to provide training to the drivers of the private buses, the efforts have not fructified because the drivers keep changing the service quite frequently.
The employees of AMTS are under the control of the civic body and have to follow the rules and regulations stipulated by the transport body so as to secure financial and other benefits. On the other hand, no disciplinary action can be taken against drivers deployed by the private players.
"Even if a particular driver's service is terminated with immediate effect because of some act of indiscipline or accident, the action can not act as an exemplary punishment. The simple reason is that they do not bother about losing job," said Patel.
A corporator of the BJP, who wished not to be identified, also questioned the rationale behind the civic body giving away its property to private players for operation. "If the project is new and the PPP model is implemented right from the beginning, it may make some sense," he said, adding that, "It is not a wise decision to give away the property developed by AMC on its own land and cost to the private players."
