Govt to give ₹100cr for ambitious flyover

Vadodara: In a major relief for the cash-strapped Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC), the state government has agreed to give Rs 100 crore for the state’s longest flyover to come up in the city. After 2017, the civic body has not received any funds towards the flyover despite a promise for the same from the state government.
The work on the flyover was started in 2017 only after the state government committed funds towards the project.The 3.5km flyover from Genda Circle to Manisha Crossroads will cost around Rs 230crore. The state government had given only Rs 76crore for the project in 2017. The state government later insisted that the expenses should be borne from the ‘Swarnim Gujarat’ grant provided to the civic body. The VMC has spent Rs 44crore on the project from this grant during the last three fiscals. In all Rs 120crore have been spent on the project so far.
Vadodara mayor Keyur Rokadiya said that with the state government committing another Rs 100crore in a phased manner, the burden on the civic body will only be Rs 10crore. “We had made a provision of Rs 60crore to ensure that the project continues smoothly. Now, we can use the money for other purposes,” said Rokadiya. The bridge was to be completed in around three years, but it has been five years since work began on it and around 40 per cent of work still remains. VMC now hopes that the work will be completed in eight to nine months. The state government committed funds after VMC functionaries met CM Bhupendra Patel, state finance minister Kanu Desai and BJP state president C R Paatil in Gandhinagar on Wednesday.
The opposition Congress had also targeted the ruling BJP in VMC claiming that the project was eating into funds for other development works. The sluggish progress of the project had also become an issue embarrassing the ruling BJP.