RMC steps up efforts with eye on civic polls

Rajkot: With civic body elections due in the next couple of months, the Rajkot Municipal Corporation (RMC) has intensified its efforts on public outreach, infrastructure planning and sanitation. Municipal commissioner Tushar Sumera issued a circular on Saturday making stakeholder consultation mandatory for all upcoming public utility infrastructure projects to ensure long-term, citizen-centric development.According to the circular, departments must seek inputs from beneficiaries, local stakeholders and subject experts before planning facilities such as community halls, auditoriums, sports complexes, health centres, libraries, women's hostels and BRTS stops. Detailed records of consultations will be maintained, and project estimates will be prepared based on structural, technical and financial feasibility, incorporating expert recommendations.Sumera said the objective is to maximize public utility by aligning projects with user needs rather than limiting planning to technical parameters. The initiative was already implemented in two projects. During planning of an international-level sports complex announced in the 2025-26 budget for Ward No. 17, 21 national and state-level athletes were consulted. Based on their feedback, facilities such as gyms, changing rooms and restrooms were designed to international standards, with special arenas for combat sports and high-demand facilities like badminton courts and a skating rink.Similarly, stakeholder consultation was carried out for a working women's hostel under the Smart City initiative, where some 100 working women provided inputs. The design includes dormitories, recreation areas, co-working spaces, day-care facilities and enhanced safety features.Meanwhile, the municipal commissioner stepped up monitoring of sanitation ahead of Swachh Survekshan 2026. On Saturday, Sumera visited the newly established solid waste management (SWM) office in Ward 3 and reviewed waste collection, segregation, transportation and disposal systems. He issued instructions to ensure cleanliness across the city and warned that negligence would not be tolerated.On Friday, Sumera held a high-level review meeting at the Central Zone office with deputy municipal commissioners, department heads and ward officers to review pending files, development projects, budget planning and cleanliness preparations. Officials were directed to clear all pending files within a week, conduct on-site inspections of citizen complaints and ensure visible cleanliness across all wards. It's believed that the RMC swung into action after orders from Gandhinagar ahead of the civic body elections.