Gandhinagar: A Congress legislator from the Jamalpur-Khadia constituency in Ahmedabad suggested in the assembly on Monday that industries located in the city ought to be shifted outside the city limits in view of Ahmedabad hosting the 2030 Commonwealth Games.Speaking during question hour, while discussing capital incentives for MSMEs, Khedawala lauded the state govt’s efforts to restart about 750 such units that were shut down in Ahmedabad city. “I wish to thank the state govt for restarting closed units located in my constituency and Shailesh Parmar’s constituency (Danilimda). My suggestion is that industries should be shifted out of the city in view of Ahmedabad hosting the Commonwealth Games,” he said.It may be said that the proposal to shift polluting industries outside the city limits was mooted in 2020, when all major cities in Gujarat saw a marked reduction in air, water, and land pollution during the lockdown. However, pollution levels soared again after the govt gradually eased lockdown restrictions. At that time, the state govt considered amending provisions of the Town Planning Act to convert industrial zones within the city limits to non-industrial areas.The issue came up for detailed discussion at the Chintan Shibir — the brainstorming session of the govt — as well, after which the state urban development department (UDD) initiated consultations with various stakeholders to move polluting industries out of the city limits.Sources in the govt said that despite sustained action by agencies such as the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), air pollution by industries located within the city limits persisted, and industrial effluents continued to be dumped into rivers, including the Sabarmati.Ahmedabad bagged the bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games, and the state govt, along with the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, already initiated a series of measures to prepare for the international sporting event.
