Ahead of crucial municipal elections in 15 cities, the Gujarat govt has rolled out a £3.03bn urban infrastructure boost in its latest budget. This marks a 40% increase from the previous year, underscoring a strong focus on developing roads, health facilities and metro connectivity across major cities. Special allocations have been made for Ahmedabad, Surat, Rajkot and Vadodara, with Ahmedabad - which is gearing up for a potential bid to host the Olympic Games - getting a major share for infrastructure upgrades.
A significant £100mn has been earmarked under the Gujarat resilient cities partnership programme for Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation and the Ahmedabad Urban Development Authority through the peri urban liveability improvement project. This initiative aims to enhance infrastructure in growing urban zones. The metro network is also getting a push, with allocations for Phase II of the Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar Metro and Surat Metro. The govt confirmed that Ahmedabad’s Phase II will be completed by Dec. The multimodal transport hub project being developed in Surat also got a £18.5mn boost.
The much-anticipated second phase of the Sabarmati riverfront development, which will connect Ahmedabad to GIFT City and Gandhinagar, has received £35mn and is expected to be completed within three years. Additionally, a £25mn fund has been set aside for the development of the SVP Sports Enclave, strengthening Ahmedabad’s case as a potential Olympic host.
Healthcare has also seen a significant boost. The budget includes funding for a neurology institute at Medicity, Ahmedabad, as well as new departments for spinal surgery, occupational therapy and prosthetics at the Government Spine Institute in Ahmedabad.
To make quality medical care available to more people, the govt announced new Medicity facilities in Gandhinagar, Vadodara, Surat and Rajkot. Specialized medical services such as cardiac, kidney, and urology treatment will be available in Surat and Bhavnagar, while Rajkot will focus on cancer and cardiac care. Vadodara and Surat will also see the establishment of dedicated gynaecology and paediatric units, complete with neonatal and obstetric ICUs.
Expanding medical education, the govt allocated £13.7mn to construct postgraduate hostels at BJ Medical College in Ahmedabad, Medical College in Vadodara and MP Shah Medical College in Jamnagar.
To enhance urban aesthetics and sanitation, £80.8mn has been allocated under the Swachchh Shaher, Sundar Shaher Yojana. This includes funds for Swachchh Bharat Mission 2.0 and Nirmal Gujarat 2.0. Additionally, £33mn has been set aside for solid and liquid waste management in 371 villages across Gandhinagar, Mehsana, Kutch, Jamnagar, Anand, Panchmahal and Navsari districts under ‘Nirmal Gujarat 2.0’.
£10mn for clean air initiative: In a move to combat air pollution and prevent a Delhi-like crisis, the govt has allocated £10mn for expanding the State Clean Air Programme to Jamnagar, Junagadh, Bhavnagar, Gandhinagar and Bharuch-Ankleshwar. The initiative will install air quality monitoring sensors in these cities, similar to those deployed in Ahmedabad. Gandhinagar, which currently has only one sensor at Lekhawada, will see an expansion of its monitoring network.
