Mirror takes your complaints to AMC chief

What an incredible start to our campaign, expensive readers. Thank you for the religion you place in us. Ahmedabad Mirror gained an awesome response from you for the I.Amdavad campaign – our endeavour to facilitate public partnership in making our 608-year-old heritage metropolis in point of fact international category. Your excitement in taking part in our campaign was infectious if the passion of Municipal Commissioner Vijay Nehra was anything else to go through. He replied a volley of questions we gained from you on cattle and stray canine threat, water disaster, building in east and west Ahmedabad, public outreach of AMC, want for speed-breakers, disappearance of open grounds and tree duvet and a lot more.

As the AMC plans to toughen people’s participation in various initiatives, Nehra revealed the demanding situations it faces and how it plans to be a people’s govt to make Ahmedabad a delicate smart-city.

He stated, “We are ethically present process distinct transformation as a metropolis and from the corporation’s side, we feel we're at necessary junctures; there are voters doing lot of interesting transformations, basically because now we have been able to create excellent synergy between the administration and voters.”

He is of the company opinion that it is not unattainable for us to match the developed towns of the world. Ahmedabad has were given the possible to be a world-class metropolis the place infrastructure is of a very good high quality and voters have a prime lifestyle.

“My considering is to be able to reach what now we have set out for, citizen participation is should. The corporation working on its own can not reach it. If we will have a crew work with corporation working very laborious, all workers and all departments working laborious, and on the similar time identify connect to voters and group then I think we will move a lot sooner in solving some of the problems that we have got,” he stated.

Nehra lived in america for a yr earlier than taking over the post and his stint there exposed him to a number of concepts and firmed up his ideals. “I visited a lot of towns in america and attempted to know the way they functioned. I realised that necessarily our metropolis governments are doing a lot more gamut of activities than any other metropolis within the trendy international does. Probably, they're better controlled because when it comes to civic sense, they're much better positioned. In all of our problems, as a result of corporation’s inability to succeed in out to the voters and begin that vary of conduct, it has to verify that there is a rule of regulation everybody adheres to,” he stated.

He believes departments should not be working at sub-optimal level. If everybody sacrifices just a little bit in converting their conduct then it'll create a favorable surroundings that can be better for everyone. Be it cleanliness, visitors regulations, inexperienced metropolis, atmosphere, spitting, using, saving water, heritage -- talk about any issue and 90% of the challenge or reasonably alternative lies in getting voters concerned, he says.

“We feel that corporation should be shifting ahead as people’s govt the place people arise, personal the problems, in finding solutions and work very intently with us. It should not be a once-in-five-years affair the place voters vote to elect their metropolis govt. It should be day after day affair in which voters interact intently, not only elevating their grievances but also working in partnerships in resolving the issues,” he added.

CIVIC CHIEF ANSWERS YOUR QUESTIONS

Mirror Editor DEEPAL TRIVEDI: You mentioned citizen participation. Can you roll out some fi gures of people in fact being engaged in making the town cleaner?

NEHRA: Traditionally now we have not had a strong public communique department. We have very engineering pushed approach. We are now trying to succeed in out to our people. In waste management, within the fi rst week of December last yr, we reached out to almost each citizen on segregation and now almost you will see every day, whether it's the river cleaning or it's tree plantation. We simply saw the ability of people within the form of participation. What would have been simply any other govt programme with 500 people coming and cleaning, was a large people’s motion. Next programme we're taking over is the Mission Million Trees, the place people’s participation is the key. We have asked them to register online and so far more than 5,000 people have registered with specifi c details. We now have to succeed in out to people. As we move ahead, we can fi nd sustainable organisational structures like a communications department.

HEMANT PANDYA: How do you strike a stability in building tasks taken up in East and West Ahmedabad?
NEHRA: On the balancing section, now now we have determined to allocate equivalent budgets to all zones and wards. I can not say it's for the primary time but we're becoming just a little extra acutely aware of it and even in some of the big tasks we're taking over, we're looking to ensure that we distribute the tasks similarly in the entire areas. For example, on the CG Road redevelopment, we're spending Rs 35 crore. So, we instantly discussed about an identical tasks on the Eastern side the place now we have known two to three roads to be taken up for redevelopment similar to CG Road or Anandnagar street. For Anandnagar and Prahladnagar roads we're simply spending Rs 3 crore, but on the eastern side we can be spending Rs 25-30 crore in line with street. We are very acutely aware of the wish to strike a regional or geographical stability between the East and the West.


J Okay VYAS, READER: How do you intend to tackle encroachment and cow threat near Jodhpur Gam?
NEHRA: There are two problems. One is unauthorised settlements. I cannot simply go and take away people with out giving them an alternative resolution. As far as cattle threat is anxious, there are more than 1,00,000 cattle within the metropolis. We impounded 18,000 cattle in the past 12 months. Earlier there was one crew which was working to tackle the threat. Now there is a crew for each zone. The manpower has been scaled up 5 to 10 occasions. More than 1000 cattle have been tagged with RFIDs.


ARTI PATEL, READER: We can not reflect a Boston or New York. Should we be taking a look at a delicate metropolis initiative instead of a clever metropolis initiative?
NEHRA:A smart metropolis should be a delicate metropolis. We must build a delicate metropolis the place we understand problems with all groups. Like right through Ganesh Visarjan, we can not arrest those that immerse idols within the river. We have to address their socio-cultural ideals, rituals and practices and take a look at to fi nd win-win solutions in which our river can stay clean. It is straightforward to put into effect rule of regulation, but we need to fi nd a sustainable resolution.

KINNARI, READER: Why is AMC not taking proactive steps? Why is it not ensured that constructions have quarterly mock drills with regards to fi re safety considerations?
NEHRA: I think this can be a very valid worry. We are setting up eff orts, but we should be doing extra. We attempted recruiting but there were moves through the present fi refi ghters pointing out they won’t allow new recruits. We want manpower and will’t run with out good enough manpower.

We shut the tuition classes down and asked them to apply for NOCs. Once they made all arrangements and applied we went and inspected. With our earlier group of workers it will have taken us three years to display the 4,000 programs. Since we had 18 people instead of one, we divided the work. Today, now we have given NOCs to 90% of the tuition classes who applied and complied.


JANVI, READER: Which are the highest three problems in Ahmedabad?
NEHRA: I can be doing legal injustice if I prioritise the issues. We spent Rs 500 crore this yr, almost double we had spent last yr. We can’t ignore any facet. A unmarried facet overlooked can be a blow to us. I cannot prioritise the issues.


JANAK NANAVATI, READER: Do you intend to construct to a fl yover or speed-breakers near Pirana Junction?
NEHRA:For me, a street or a flyover isn't the problem at Pirana. There are hundreds of junctions within the metropolis and the issue cannot be solved simply by striking a flyover. We wish to have right kind visitors regulation. The speedbreakers are determined through the police and visitors dept and executed through the municipal corporation.

CHINTAN PARMAR, READER: I am apprehensive about water-logging and potholes this monsoon, especially alongside the metro course.
NEHRA: We are concerned and are taking it up with the metro government. Although they have got taken some steps in some stretches, they are able to do extra.


♦ WHEN MIRROR WENT LIVE ON SOCIAL MEDIA...

There are not any commonplace gardens or jogging tracks in Science City space. Why is it unnoticed as compared to different areas? -ADITYA PATEL

We are taking measures to create extra parks and carrying facilities. We are making new gardens in almost each zone of the town. Around Science City, we're bobbing up with the most important city forest of the town, the place we plan to plant 25,000 timber to create a dense city forest.


Can we make metropolis free of unused, old cars parked in lanes? - B V MEHTA

Mr Mehta, now we have determined that each one cars which can be deserted and parked haphazardly for long sessions of time are towed away through the visitors department. When the individual involves us to say the vehicle, they will must pay the towing fees to visitors police and parking fees to the AMC.


What is your opinion on unlawful spiritual structures bobbing up within the metropolis? - ADITYA PATEL

It is a delicate issue because it's associated with people’s faith and sentiments. We do not hesitate in taking away spiritual structures anywhere required for public get advantages.


How efficient will Joint Enforcement Team be towards encroachment, visitors, spitting and parking drives, especially when we are back to sq. one in spite of repeated makes an attempt? - RAKESH GOSWAMI

It’s necessary that govt organisations work intently. In Ahmedabad, the AMC and Ahmedabad Police have been working in synergy and coordination. With 48 teams in 48 wards, there's some enforcement going down all the time around the metropolis. Old conduct die laborious, but we must be affected person. JET will serve as till those conduct die.


How quickly will Ahmedabad streets eliminate cattle threat? -ASHISH DHAR

It is a very challenging job. When our teams go out to impound free cattle, they're attacked through the cattle owners’ group. From one crew, we've got seven, with a crew running in each zone. It isn't conceivable for me to offer an exact date but over the next two years, the cattle threat will cut back through 90%.

The drainage traces in Vadaj are clogged, and it'll pose a huge drawback within the monsoon. Does the AMC wake up only after media highlights a public issue? -CHETAN ANAND

We have close to 44,000 catchments and one spherical of cleaning them has already been completed. If your catchment is missed out, please call 155303 with the details and your grievance can be addressed.

Every fortnight, the AMC will resolution your questions concerning civic problems. Keep writing in to Mirror at amletters@timesgroup.in as we do our bit to make Ahmedabad a better place.