Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation not responding in time, say councillors in board meet

City corporators on Tuesday said during the monthly board meeting that the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) is not responding in time to non-compliance of regulations and lack of quality service. Opposition Congress alleged that the administration, instead of taking proactive measures, is in a firefighting mode only after disasters strike.

The death of 22 young children in a fire tragedy in Surat dominated the proceedings of the meeting. Opposition Congress said that it is only after disaster strikes that the administration wakes up from the slumber. Leader of the opposition Dinesh Sharma said that against the requisite strength of 1,500 the Fire Brigade has only 500 odd men, against 47 fire stations needed, city has only 17 and against 68 fire fighters, there are only 40.

Dipti Amarkotia, BJP Councillor from Bodakdev also joined the chorus and said that she had brought to the notice of the municipal commissioner an illegal service station operating in her ward, however, no action has been taken. Mayor Bijal Patel promptly replied that the complaint will be looked into. Congress Councillor from Gomtipur, Iqbal Sheikh said that even after repeated complaints to senior officials of AMC, over 40 chawls in his ward are receiving coloured water.

Sharma said that the administration indulges in knee jerk reactions after causalities but things are back to square one soon after. "We would like to know what is the outcome of your previous drives?" said Sharma.

Sharma also alleged that Mayor Bijal Patel had earlier promised that services will not be discontinued at VS Hospital inspite of new SVP Hospital. "Super specialty services have been discontinued at VS. How can one trust the word of the mayor?" he said. To this Mayor Bijal Patel said that she had promised that VS Hospital will not be shut down and still patients are being treated there. She promised that services at VS Hospital will improve.