Leave AC car and walk like ordinary citizens: AMC commissioner rebukes officials over parking chaos

Amid Ahmedabad’s growing traffic and parking troubles, Municipal Commissioner Banchhanidhi Pani on Wednesday delivered a sharp message to his deputy municipal commissioners: step out of your air-conditioned cars and experience the city the way ordinary citizens do. Only then, he said, will they truly understand the real struggle people face while searching for parking on busy roads.

During the review meeting, when a deputy commissioner claimed that the corporation has parking-related software while citizens do not, the commissioner instructed officials to develop a system accessible to all—one that shows where parking spots are located, how many slots are vacant, and what the applicable parking charges are.

“If you work only 20%, take only 20% salary.”

The meeting saw multiple instances where the commissioner expressed frustration at incomplete tasks. When the Urban Development deputy commissioner admitted that only 20% of the assigned work had been completed, the commissioner retorted, “Then take only 20% salary. If you take full salary, you must deliver 100% work.”

Raising concern over rising disease cases across East and South zones, he questioned whether the deputy health officers of these zones were “sleeping”, given the poor pace of field actions.

Delay in fire stations, drainage complaints and civic negligence

When asked about progress on new fire stations, the deputy commissioner of the Fire Department informed that five required plots had still not been possessed. The commissioner directed him to coordinate with the Estate Department, remove encroachments if needed, and start construction without further delay.

Addressing increasing complaints of drainage backflow in several wards of the North Zone, he issued clear instructions to the deputy commissioner: visit affected areas and educate residents not to dump items like cloth, rags, or waste into drainage lines.

Seal hospitals without BU permission or Fire NOC

The commissioner sought details on hospitals operating without Building Use (BU) permission. The Estate Officer revealed that many long-standing buildings housing hospitals with 20 or more beds are functioning without BU approvals.

The commissioner ordered a joint drive by the Fire and Estate Departments to identify and seal all hospitals that lack BU permission or fire NOC—regardless of how old the buildings are.