Uproar in assembly over inclusion of Gandhinagar in JNNURM

The Gujarat Assembly today 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 captial did not have an elected body.