Gandhinagar, Sep 12 — Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister Harsh Sanghavi on Saturday praised Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel's approach to combating corruption, saying Patel's actions against corrupt officials had been more significant than his public statements.
Speaking at a programme where development works worth Rs 1,848 crore were inaugurated and launched in Gandhinagar, Sanghavi said: “Bhupendra Patel is not in the habit of speaking much; he is in the habit of working directly. Our Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has made the highest number of corrupt officials in the entire country drink Gangajal.”
Sanghavi said the state government under Patel had consistently taken decisions keeping citizens' interests at the centre and without political vendetta. "The Chief Minister continued to announce development works one after another," he said.
Turning to Gandhinagar's transformation, Sanghavi said the city was once identified primarily with the Secretariat but had now become an active urban centre with modern facilities, education, industry, trade and cultural activities.
"Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, important facilities and projects had been developed in Gandhinagar and surrounding areas," he asserted.
He cited universities, the Helipad Exhibition Ground, GIFT City and Mahatma Mandir among the projects that had become part of Gandhinagar's identity.
He said the city had also undergone a visible change in its evening and night-time activity. “Earlier, the streets of Gandhinagar would become deserted after evening. Today, the situation has changed. Gandhinagar has become a city that remains vibrant until late at night, and the streets that remained deserted years ago can now be seen bustling with activity,” he said.
Sanghavi also highlighted the government's support for Navratri, saying the festival is an important part of Gujarat's cultural identity.
"Citizens had been given the opportunity to play garba and worship Maa Amba until late at night, while efforts had been made to create an environment in which small traders could also receive business comparable to that during Diwali," he said.
He said the government's working style under Patel had been based on taking direct and quick decisions and delivering development works to citizens one after another.
The Deputy CM also appealed to citizens to share responsibility for cleanliness and support Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cleanliness campaign.
Sanghvi said even educated and degree-holding people were sometimes seen throwing water bottles, wafer packets and other waste in public places. "Such behaviour increased the workload of sanitation workers," he said.
He urged citizens to collectively resolve not to litter and to fulfil their responsibility towards keeping public spaces clean.
The Deputy CM also congratulated residents on the Rs 1,848 crore development package and called for continued public participation in the city's development journey.
Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Sanghavi jointly flagged off around 30 new e-buses and travelled in one of them as ordinary passengers from the venue to the Ministers' Residential Complex.