Guj govt forms council for Aji riverfront project

Rajkot Municipal Corporation is going to develop Aji river front at the cost of about Rs 200 cr

In what could be a shot in arm for the Aji riverfront project in Rajkot, the Gujarat government has forme a special governing council of which energy minister Saurabh Patel will act as the head.

Apart from Patel who is also in-charge minister of Rajkot, the council will also see state agriculture minister Govind Patel as vice chairman, RMC commissioner, mayor, standing committee chairman of RMC, Rajkot District Collector and Police Commissioner included as members. The council will also have an executive committee that will headed by Rajkot municipal commissioner Ajay Bhadoo.

If all goes well, the river will now receive a fresh lease of life from the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) in form of a riverfront project. The corporation is going to develop Aji river front at the cost of about Rs 200 crore.

"We are developing the Aji river front on the lines of Sabarmati riverfront. The state government has approved this project and agreed to provide 100 percent project cost under Swarnim yojana," said Bhadoo.

The project is being divided into two phase and it will completed within next five years.

"In first phase works like demarcation of river boundary by DILR, clearing the encroachments and stop all the anti - social activity that is harming the river and constructing retaining wall on both side will have done in next two years," said Govind Patel, vice chairman of the Council and state agriculture minister. In the second phase of the project, RMC will form special purpose vehicle name 'Aji River Redevelopment Company' (ARRC) that will look after all the development including appointing of expert, beautification, construction of five water retaining structures across the river, intercepting the Sewage and laying of new sewer line parallel to Aji river and other things.

Rajkot Municipal Corporation is responsible for execution of this project and governing council and executive committee will monitoring the entire project.