If every one of the revenue capital-budget projects undertaken in the past two years is behind schedule, though, the VMC has only its lethargy and bad coordination (among the various departments and the elected wing) to blame.

Consider the much-touted model roads project: it's not even half-way through; the installation of streetlights, obviously, has not even started. The transport nagar has not materialised for want of land.

According to Executive Engineer (Roads-Project) M M Patel, the model roads project were delayed because -- laughable as it may sound -- the VMC could not decide which of the 14 roads to take up first!

The project had been allocated Rs 5 crores in 1997-98; of the total (three-year) cost of Rs 18 crores, Rs 13 crores was to be raised through loans. Patel says the government's initial refusal to guarantee open market loans impeded the project; when work eventually began, the civic body realised it would need around Rs 30 crores, since it hadn't accounted for paying the Gujarat Electricity Board to shift electricity poles from the middle of the roads.

If that isn't enough evidence of mismanagement, consider the Harni-Sawad underground sump, for which Rs 50 lakhs were allocated in 1997-98. In-charge additional city engineer B S Trapasia says there was a problem in getting a HUDCO loan. ``Procedures also delay things'', he adds.

Then there's the water filtration plants. Rs 2.50 crores were allocated for them in 1997-98; the foundation stone of the Nimeta plant was laid just a few months ago. No explanations are forthcoming on the delay, but it is said the two sewage treatment plants will not be upgraded before March 1999.

Then there's the alternative to the EME Road, a Rs 1 crore provision for which was made in 1998-99. The VMC still hasn't acquired the land for the street, though the EME Road is now closed twice a day to vehicular traffic by the EME authorities.

Needless to say, the 10-15 per cent annual cost escalations are costing the VMC -- and so the people -- heavily. Though it may not be mandatory to complete the works the same year they are undertaken, that is always advisable.

Unfortunately, there is no one person who can be held responsible for such delays: the administrative and elected wings are equally responsible for them. But surprisingly, Municipal Commissioner G R Aloria will have none of it. Says he, ``Corporations run on a day-to-day basis and priorities change often'', thereby passing on to his predecessors the responsibility for the delays.

According to Aloria, each budgetary item has been religiously implemented ever since he took charge.

A civic officer, however, says works pile up because there's no performance audit and no answerability in the government and semi-government offices.

As if the VMC didn't have enough on its plate already, the VMC's long-standing request for extension of the city limits has been granted. But is it ready to take on the responsibility of 21 more villages? Maybe the VMC should make a round of introspection its highest priority in the new year.