Ahmedabad: City’s reality check for just one week roads High Court-appointed judicial team unveils truth behind civic authority’s claims of ‘motorable roads’ in Ahmedabad.
Since mid-2017, an active high court has been demanding accountability from the civic body on both building roads and fixing responsibility on officials and contractors for compromising on the quality of raw materials.
A team of advocates from the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA), paralegals and volunteers was asked by Chief Justice Arvind Kumar and Hustis Ashutosh Shastri to assess the condition of the roads under the jurisdiction of the AMC.
One of the PIL petitioners, Mustaq Qadri, through advocate Amit Panchal, alleged that the HC’s directions issued in 2018 to keep the city’s roads in good condition were not properly followed. It was also alleged that the city’s roads remain in bad condition, especially during and after the monsoons.
On 9 February, questions were raised on the following Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner claims That the city’s roads are in “good condition”, the High Court ordered an inspection through GSLSA and sought a “detailed and comprehensive report” by March 2. Apart from the North West Zone areas, most of the roads were found to be in very poor condition. Bad condition. Potholes, excavation work and broken footpaths were also found in the North West region.
2. Excavated 5 times the length of the city road
In November, the AMC assured the HC that its roads department would ensure that no newly laid or regenerated roads would be dug up by road opening (RO) or utility service agencies.
A look at AMC’s own records reveals a different picture. Between September 2021 and July 2022, road opening agencies – which include municipal, state, central government, semi-government and private utility providers – have worked out a program to dig 25,315 roads in the city. This represents approximately 6,244 km of roads. This means that the city’s roads, which total 2,580 km, will be dug 2 to 5 times more. In 10 months, these agencies will together dig 3 lakh pits on the roads of the city.
Since mid-2017, an active high court has been demanding accountability from the civic body on both building roads and fixing responsibility on officials and contractors for compromising on the quality of raw materials.
A team of advocates from the Gujarat State Legal Services Authority (GSLSA), paralegals and volunteers was asked by Chief Justice Arvind Kumar and Hustis Ashutosh Shastri to assess the condition of the roads under the jurisdiction of the AMC.
One of the PIL petitioners, Mustaq Qadri, through advocate Amit Panchal, alleged that the HC’s directions issued in 2018 to keep the city’s roads in good condition were not properly followed. It was also alleged that the city’s roads remain in bad condition, especially during and after the monsoons.
On 9 February, questions were raised on the following Ahmedabad Municipal Commissioner claims That the city’s roads are in “good condition”, the High Court ordered an inspection through GSLSA and sought a “detailed and comprehensive report” by March 2. Apart from the North West Zone areas, most of the roads were found to be in very poor condition. Bad condition. Potholes, excavation work and broken footpaths were also found in the North West region.
2. Excavated 5 times the length of the city road
In November, the AMC assured the HC that its roads department would ensure that no newly laid or regenerated roads would be dug up by road opening (RO) or utility service agencies.
A look at AMC’s own records reveals a different picture. Between September 2021 and July 2022, road opening agencies – which include municipal, state, central government, semi-government and private utility providers – have worked out a program to dig 25,315 roads in the city. This represents approximately 6,244 km of roads. This means that the city’s roads, which total 2,580 km, will be dug 2 to 5 times more. In 10 months, these agencies will together dig 3 lakh pits on the roads of the city.