VMC proposes major road widening project in old city

VADODARA: The Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) will take up a major road widening project in the sensitive Fatehpura area of the city. To ensure that the project is conducted without any hiccups, the top brass of the city police and the VMC held a meeting with the residents of the area on Saturday.
The VMC plans to widen the road from Adania Pul to Thekarnath crematorium as well as from Sarasiya pond to Thekarnath crematorium.The roads are presently around eight-metre wide and the VMC plans to expand their width to 18 metre to solve the traffic problems in the area.
VMC commissioner Manish Bhardwaj said both the stretches are round 1.2km long and have parts of houses or shops that come in the road line. He added that in all 127 properties will be affected because of the project. “The present width of the roads is hardly eight metre and we plan to make them 18 metre wide,” Bhardwaj said.
The VMC plans to compensate people who will be affected with transferable FSI that can be used elsewhere or sold to others. VMC has also offered to give residents of the area alternative housing when the work is conducted. In case of those who may lose their properties completely, the civic body will compensate them as per the prevalent ‘jantri’ rates decided by the state government for the area.
Besides Bhardwaj, police commissioner E Radhakrishna and local leaders were present at the meeting. Bhardwaj said besides easing road traffic in the old city, the wider roads will help in implementation of law and order in the area. “With wider roads the area can also see commercial development,” said Bhardwaj.
The wider roads would also help the VMC in laying service lines in the area. “Presently, it is very difficult to provide drainage, water and gas lines in the area as there is hardly any space to lay them,” said Bhardwaj.