By Japan K Pathak, Ahmedabad

I believe most of the people have fare idea about whom they are going to vote for in election, even before the campaign season starts.

My city Ahmedabad is going to witness election for local civic body next Sunday.

Though voting process is personal and private, I have no problem in announcing whom I am going to vote for.

I am going to vote for BJP. There are reasons behind it. Let me start from my house.

I get excellent water supply round the year. There were days in past when water supply was not enough, and pressure was insufficient. Some members of our housing society were using electric motor to get speedy and sufficient water. Those days are over. For last many years we get complete and total water supply without any problem.

The other thing is garbage.

For last few years, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation(AMC) has established efficient door-to-door garbage collection system. A person comes with his assistant in vehicle every morning to collect garbage from our bungalow compound. There’s additional system in place so far as garbage is concerned. The street in our housing society is cleaned by sweepers employed by AMC.

Now let me move out of my house. Right next to the main gate, there’s light pole. In last few years, it has happened only once when I had to complain about changing the tube lights for this pole. The AMC has started grievances redress system on phone. I filed my complain on phone only and they issued me a code. The system is not so efficient. Twice they said they had resolved the issue, but the light was still not working. On my third complain through same system, the issue was resolved. It tool two-three days and the light was on again.

Right outside my house is concrete road. It’s within the limit of our housing society but government gave 80% cost to replace asphalt road with concrete. Our society paid just 20% cost. With concrete road in place, there are underground ducts to carry the cables and cooking gas(PNG) pipes. No more digging of road in case of fault. On both sides of the road there are pavers that can be pulled out to fix underground faults and can be attached again.

There are town planning(TP) roads on both sides of my street. Both have been always in good condition. I remember my early school days when riding on bicycle on damaged roads was hell. Ever since Commissioner Keshav Verma, the roads have been found in best condition. AMC just doesn’t give me a chance to complain about roads. Whenever there’s some damage, heavy machines come in the night and repair the road. I know this is not true about all areas of city. Worst case has been Jodhpur area. But so far in thi article I am speaking about my experience with AMC.

Just at a few distance from main road, there’s Ahmedabad Municipal Transport Service(AMTS) bus-stop. It has been there for years and years. I don’t travel in AMTS buses, and therefore I have no experience in this regard.

Then comes the square which is known as Dharnidhar circle. It has high mast, sodium lights, a building of AMC titled named after late Shri Ke Ka Shastri. I remember my childhood days when this was a sleepy square with white tube-lights and single lane road. It’s completely different today.

From this circle starts an over bridge which is popularly known as Shreyas over bridge. In my college days, I would always stuck in traffic at Shreyas railway crossing. The over bridge solved this issue.

Earlier this was single lane sleepy road, but now it’s busy road as AMC has developed Bus Rapid Transit System(BRTS) lane here. The BRTS bus stand is just at stone throwing distance from Dharnidhar circle. You can catch the bus for cheaper, tension free and speedy travel to Bopal, RTO, Odhav and other areas. The frequency is very good, bus-stops are clean and many buses are air conditioned.

Earlier there was only one garden worth visiting near my home and it was Parimal Garden, located at 1.7 km distance. In recent years there has been newer gardens around my home. Haren Pandya garden, Senior Citizen park are some of them. They have security guards and efficient maintenance staff.

At just 1 km distance from my house is AMC run swimming pool and civic center.Birth certificate issuance and other similar services are available at this civic center. Swimming pool is very affordable and coach service is available. Water is clean and my neighbors who use this facility are more than happy with it.

I am not satisfied with upkeep of a garden situated in my housing society. The garden is owned by AMC, but its upkeep has been assigned to Amul in a commercial deal. I must say Amul is not maintaining this garden well. It’s boundary wall has been damaged. It’s lawn is destroyed. There’s no security guard to look after the safety issues. It has become a free land to do anything for anyone.

The impact fee scheme introduced by the state government has been helpful for many whom I know. It has helped to regularize the additional construction.

My friends from Bengaluru and Gurgaon/Delhi say Ahmedabad is way more cleaner than their cities. They say you take number of developments in Ahmedabad/Gujarat for granted because you don’t know what’s the situation in other cities in other states.

Police is not something that comes under AMC, but let me extend my talk and add that new police station is now just 1 km away from my house. Earlier my area would come under Ellis bridge police station, but now a new Paldi police station has been set up and it is at walking distance from my house. A new metro rail station which is going to come up over Shreyas over bridge will also be within one km distance from my home. VS hospital, now in my municipal ward area, but in my assembly segment is being developed on amazing scale. If not for any other project, I would vote for BJP just for its VS hospital project. The public hospital will have private hospital like facilities. Helicopter carrying patient would be able to land on its top.

So as a voter I am overall satisfied with AMC’s performance under BJP and I am going to vote for it. But at the same time I have some complains too, which I am listing down, expecting improvements.

– There’s Patelism and nepotism going on in BJP governed AMC body. Forget important posts including Mayor, even important contracts are awarded in a manner to favor a particular caste or community. This is unacceptable. There are various communities living in this city and bias in favor of one particular section is unacceptable.

– BJP believes that it is the only option for voters, and getting reelected is certain. This makes BJP bit arrogant. It appears on number of occasions that the party leaders in AMC take voters for granted. BJP leaders need to change their approach. Only pleasing godfathers and high commands in party is not enough. People cried for situation of roads in Jodhpur ward for months, but there was no response from elected wing of AMC! This is unacceptable.

– BJP had promised slum-free city in last AMC election. We understand that delivery of same is full of speed breakers, but let me say very little has been done in this direction. When Chinese President visited Ahmedabad, the AMC had to erect temporary wall outside the Vadaj slum, so that Chinese President may not see it. Instead of concealing that slum pocket, AMC must remove it and given better living to slum dwellers elsewhere. Whenever southern Rajasthan receives very heavy rain, and water is released from Dharoi dam, Vadaj slum in Ahmedabad experiences flood. I have been there on two occasions as a reporter. It’s ugly and worst. AMC must relocate these people to better living space. Ditto about other such slum areas.

– Gardens are handed over to Amul in exchange of a space for outlet, but does AMC check Amul’s performance? My experience about the garden located near my home suggests, Amul doesn’t care, and AMC too.

– It was AMC’s inefficiency due to which the markets came up on footpaths of busy Satellite road(Nehrunagar circle to Lakshmibai statue). The market creates havoc for traffic. AMC was too late to take action, and therefore hawkers could go to court and ensured stay against removal. It’s same about other roads. IIMA road, Law Garden, CEPT road, every main road has been occupied by hawkers and eateries. AMC has to come out with strict rules and increased force to remove such nuisance.

– BRTS lanes on narrow roads is mindless job that has been done by AMC. In Delhi, we find Metro rail which either passes through underground tunnels, or over elevated track. Metro just doesn’t occupy a single inch of surface of road. On the contrary, BRTS has narrowed down the roads. Because BRTS was cheaper option, and marketing from foreign-Indian consultants was excellent, Ahmedabad selected it as an option over Metro. The latest BRTS lane headache I witnessed was in Bopal. The road was already insufficient and narrow, and now AMC has developed BRTS lane there!

– Rather than event based approach, the AMC must focus on structural and permanent tasks. For an example, why Tagore hall or Town hall has no website like NCPA Mumbai, describing regularly updated details of each and every show, online ticket booking facility etc?

– AMC is not doing enough against illegal buildings being constructed, mostly in periphery areas of city. Thousands of buildings are without parking facility. Many have covered parking space for commercial activities. Due to lack of action against existing illegal buildings, there’s no fear, and therefore newer illegal buildings are emerging.

– AMC has done lot to clean the river and other public places in city, but not much has been done on the front of effective awareness drive. I remember AMC had put big pots on bridges so that people can dispose off religious waste there, but for last many months such pots are not there on bridges. Cleaning the city is one thing, but developing a mass of citizens that would not throw garbage at public places is completely a new front. Morari Bapu had launched an effective awareness campaign against killing of whales in coastal Saurashtra. He started calling whale as Vhali(dear). This drive was so effective that fishermen now free whales caught in their net. Hundreds of whales are released by fishermen in Gujarat in last few years. Fishing net suffers damage, but fishermen cut it to make whale free. Why any single citizen would throw garbage in public place or in river? Why can’t there be an effective awareness campaign on riverfront?

– Surat Municipal Corporation has formed a cell for beautification of city. AMC needs to do something to make Ahmedabad more beautiful.

– AMC must not waste public money in projects that are going to fail including Chinese bus-boat in Sabarmati riverfront or digital traffic notice boards in partnership with Japan.

Cost escalation of projects, corruption(under any party), mess in illegally developed periphery areas of city and many more points can be added to this list, but I am stopping here. Even after number of shortcomings, BJP remains the party to vote for in this election, at least for me. Their governance is overall good. The experience of having Congress in power in AMC during 2000-2005 was a nightmare.

– DeshGujarat