Gandhinaga: The Gujarat Assembly Friday
witnessed a heated debate on the issue of inclusion of state
capital Gandhinagar in the Jawaharlal Nehru Urban Renewal
Mission (JNNURM) with the ruling and opposition parties
trading charges on each other.
Urban Development Minister Nitin Patel alleged that
repeated requests of the state government on inclusion of
Gandhinagar and home town of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Karamsad
in JNNURM to the Centre, has failed to evoke response so far.
The issue came up for discussion on the question of
Vadodara BJP MLA Bhupendra Lakhawala, who wished to know how
many times the state government had asked the Centre for
inclusion of Gandhinagar in JNNURM.
"The Chief Minister during his meeting with Prime
Minister Manmohan Singh had requested for inclusion of state
capital Gandhinagar. We have written letter many times to the
Union Urban development ministry but there is no response,"
Patel said.
Patel claimed that Porbandar, the birth place of Father
of Nation Mahatma Gandhi was included under the JNNURM
after a delay of three years.
The Congress refuted the charges of the minister by
saying that Gandhinagar cannot be included under the JNNURM as
the capital did not have an elected body.
IANS
