AHMEDABAD: The 2020-21 Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) budget has seen an increase of Rs 1,400 crore over the previous financial year’s budget. Here are the steps taken in the budget for a better city:
AMC to launch its FM radio station
The AMC standing committee on Thursday announced that the civic body will launch its own FM radio station called ‘My Amdavad My FM radio’.
The station will be AMC’s mouthpiece where its campaigns will be reported along with new schemes of the civic body. A budget of Rs 5 crore has been earmarked for this purpose.
12D theatre, special areas
The standing committee also made two ambitious announcements.
Setting up of a 12D multi entertainment theatre at Jaldahara water park and special area development plans for Odhav Gurudwara and Jagannath temple complex.
World heritage city conference
The AMC this year will organize a World Heritage City Conference to attract conservation experts from across the world. The city had hosted the Asia-world Heritage City conference in 2010 and then seven years later Ahmedabad’s Walled City was inscribed by Unesco as a World Heritage City in July 2017. A budget of Rs 3 crore has been set aside for the conference. Standing committee chairman Amul Bhatt said that Rs 10 crore has been earmarked separately for refurbishing the city square between Bhadra fort and Teen Darwaza. “The renovation has already begun with coloured fountains being installed. New street furniture will also be installed for a familiy-friendly space,” Bhatt said.
Blockage-free left turns
In a significant decision, the AMC standing committee has proposed that the civic body will undertake design tweaks of all traffic junctions in the city to allow blockage free left turns for vehicles. The decision came after the traffic coordination committee informed that between 2016 and the end of 2019 some 23,747 traffic fines were imposed on commuters blocking left turns at junctions owing to lack of proper widths at junctions. Also not all junctions in the city allow left turns. “We were aware that blockages on left-turns were posing a huge problem for commuters. We analyzed CCTV footages from various traffic junctions at different times of the day before arriving at the decision,” Bhatt said.
500 air purifiers to be installed across Ahmedabad
The rising particulate pollution in Ahmedabad has become a cause of concern and the AMC will install 500 air purifiers at traffic junctions and 10 additional pollution monitoring devices across the city. A provision of Rs 15 crore has been made by the standing committee for this purpose. Moreover, provision has been made for creating urban forest patches at Pirana, Jaspur, Piplaj and Hathijan areas.
5 new foot bridges with escalators
The AMC standing committee announced foot overbridges at five locations with escalators. These will be built on ‘Built Operate Transfer’ basis at Valinath Chowk-Naranpura, Khamasa crossroads, Nikol and Bapunagar. Standing committee chairman Amul Bhatt said that a refreshment zone will be built at each of the foot overbridges.
Rs 30 crore action plan for traffic issues
The standing committee on Thursday also declared a provision for drawing up a Rs 30 crore action plan for solving the city’s traffic problems. This includes four new flyovers and underbridges, a parking policy for the city, smart traffic signals and modular and mechanical parking systems. ‘The modular parking system is demountable and can be erected at any open plot or a large traffic island at any junction. Such is the flexibility of the system,” says a senior AMC official. Apart from this new road stretches are being identified for laying new cycle tracks and newly designed footpaths. Under the traffic action plan, project reports for four new flyovers and underbridges will be prepared. These will include an underbridge from Nehru bridge to Nagri hospital, flyovers between Shah-e-Alam tol post to Swaminarayan college, and another one between Naranpura AEC to Vivekanand Circle underpass. Another flyover is being planned at Hathijan Lalgebi Circle.
AMC to launch its FM radio station
The AMC standing committee on Thursday announced that the civic body will launch its own FM radio station called ‘My Amdavad My FM radio’.
The station will be AMC’s mouthpiece where its campaigns will be reported along with new schemes of the civic body. A budget of Rs 5 crore has been earmarked for this purpose.
12D theatre, special areas
The standing committee also made two ambitious announcements.
Setting up of a 12D multi entertainment theatre at Jaldahara water park and special area development plans for Odhav Gurudwara and Jagannath temple complex.
World heritage city conference
The AMC this year will organize a World Heritage City Conference to attract conservation experts from across the world. The city had hosted the Asia-world Heritage City conference in 2010 and then seven years later Ahmedabad’s Walled City was inscribed by Unesco as a World Heritage City in July 2017. A budget of Rs 3 crore has been set aside for the conference. Standing committee chairman Amul Bhatt said that Rs 10 crore has been earmarked separately for refurbishing the city square between Bhadra fort and Teen Darwaza. “The renovation has already begun with coloured fountains being installed. New street furniture will also be installed for a familiy-friendly space,” Bhatt said.
Blockage-free left turns
In a significant decision, the AMC standing committee has proposed that the civic body will undertake design tweaks of all traffic junctions in the city to allow blockage free left turns for vehicles. The decision came after the traffic coordination committee informed that between 2016 and the end of 2019 some 23,747 traffic fines were imposed on commuters blocking left turns at junctions owing to lack of proper widths at junctions. Also not all junctions in the city allow left turns. “We were aware that blockages on left-turns were posing a huge problem for commuters. We analyzed CCTV footages from various traffic junctions at different times of the day before arriving at the decision,” Bhatt said.
500 air purifiers to be installed across Ahmedabad
The rising particulate pollution in Ahmedabad has become a cause of concern and the AMC will install 500 air purifiers at traffic junctions and 10 additional pollution monitoring devices across the city. A provision of Rs 15 crore has been made by the standing committee for this purpose. Moreover, provision has been made for creating urban forest patches at Pirana, Jaspur, Piplaj and Hathijan areas.
5 new foot bridges with escalators
The AMC standing committee announced foot overbridges at five locations with escalators. These will be built on ‘Built Operate Transfer’ basis at Valinath Chowk-Naranpura, Khamasa crossroads, Nikol and Bapunagar. Standing committee chairman Amul Bhatt said that a refreshment zone will be built at each of the foot overbridges.
Rs 30 crore action plan for traffic issues
The standing committee on Thursday also declared a provision for drawing up a Rs 30 crore action plan for solving the city’s traffic problems. This includes four new flyovers and underbridges, a parking policy for the city, smart traffic signals and modular and mechanical parking systems. ‘The modular parking system is demountable and can be erected at any open plot or a large traffic island at any junction. Such is the flexibility of the system,” says a senior AMC official. Apart from this new road stretches are being identified for laying new cycle tracks and newly designed footpaths. Under the traffic action plan, project reports for four new flyovers and underbridges will be prepared. These will include an underbridge from Nehru bridge to Nagri hospital, flyovers between Shah-e-Alam tol post to Swaminarayan college, and another one between Naranpura AEC to Vivekanand Circle underpass. Another flyover is being planned at Hathijan Lalgebi Circle.
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