Paatil's remarks came hours after sitting MP Ranjan Bhatt made her first public appearance since she announced the withdrawal of her candidature on March 23.
Desai said the new municipal corporations have been proposed for improved management of towns since the state’s total population living in urban areas is likely to reach 75 per cent by 2047.
Rajkot has seen many transitions since the 1980s when a major means of public transport were autorickshaws or chhakdas ‘uncomfortable’ multi-seater rides improvised from motorbikes. A complete transition to buses running on green fuel is on its way after many experiments.
Even before the Jhulto Pul in Morbi crashed last year, Gujarat had seen some mishaps. In the last few months, however, construction or design faults linked to at least eight bridges some of them new or yet to be inaugurated were reported. Signaling the use of poor quality material and possible corruption, the incidents have dented the development model.
Every year, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) draws up a list of dangerous buildings and issues warnings to its occupiers. In the 600-year-old walled city which is on the UNESCO heritage list, the numbers have been swelling over the years. Lives have been lost as the buildings crumble but where does the buck stop?