Ahmedabad: A jarring bump on Nava Vadaj’s newly white-topping roads has become a daily reminder of how poor coordination can literally trip up a city. Two freshly laid concrete stretches—each about 750 metres long—meet near the Swaminarayan Temple, but instead of a seamless junction, commuters are forced to negotiate a sudden 5–6 inch level difference between the old and the new road.
For motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike, the mismatch has turned a smooth drive into an obstacle course.The first white-topping stretch, built six months ago in front of Swastik School, sits noticeably lower than the newer road constructed from the Swaminarayan Temple towards Vyaswadi. At their junction, the newer concrete rises abruptly, catching drivers off guard and slowing traffic as vehicles brake sharply to avoid scraping their underbellies or losing balance.
Rather than acknowledge the design and execution lapse, the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) has now begun an exercise that many locals see as a patchwork cover-up. Filler material is being dumped at the junction to “smoothen” the transition between the two levels—an afterthought fix that underscores the absence of proper planning and supervision when the projects were executed.The Nava Vadaj mess is symptomatic of larger troubles plaguing AMC’s ambitious white-topping drive. In Sep 2023, the civic body approved two major tenders worth Rs 150 crore to build concrete roads across the East and West zones, with a one-year completion deadline. That deadline has been pushed back repeatedly—first to April 2025 and then to Dec 31, 2025—yet work remains unfinished in several areas.The delays have stretched commuters’ patience. Contractors were expected to wrap up work before Diwali 2024, but by the end of 2025, barricades, diversions and half-finished roads continue to inconvenience residents.
As of July 2025, of the 84 roads approved for white-topping, only 27 had been completed, while 57 were either incomplete or not started at all.Box: City’s first white-topping road excavated yet againAhmedabad: The city’s first white-topping road on Gurukul Road in Memnagar area has been dug up yet again, highlighting persistent planning lapses in AMC’s flagship road projects. Built in 2023, the concrete stretch has already been excavated at least 10 times in a single year due to repeated water pipeline leakages. A fresh pit was recently dug near the water distribution station for repair work. Residents continue to oppose white-topping projects, citing frequent digging, poor coordination of underground utilities and rising road levels that leave adjoining housing societies vulnerable to severe waterlogging during the monsoon.
