Jaipur: Inauguration of Ghat Ki Guni tunnel on Jan 19, 2013 by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, meant celebration for colonies along Agra Road near Bagrana who saw it as a gateway to long-awaited growth. Thirteen years later, that hope has turned into a dispute over files, jurisdictions and ecological restrictions.
Agra Road
Agra Road
More than one lakh residents in Sumel, Bagrana and Vijaypura, the last three former village panchayats under Adarsh Nagar constituency, remain without basic urban infrastructure, nine months after being brought under Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) limits. The Dec 2025 notification by the Local Self Govt department gave these settlements urban status after nearly 30 years of expansion. However, Jaipur Development Authority, under Urban Development and Housing (UDH) department, continues to deny pattas and related documents to the colonies, citing ecological-zone restrictions imposed after a Jan 12, 2017 order of Rajasthan High Court’s Jodhpur bench.For residents, the contradiction is stark. They will vote in JMC elections for the first time, yet roads, sewerage and formal property rights remain uncertain. “We are living in colonies where one can see new buildings and new neighbours every day. Shops and other establishments are also coming up, but everything is illegal on paper. Taking ecological zone as an excuse, even JMC did not carry out any development works in the last eight months,” alleged former member of Sumel panchayat, Mukesh Meena.Locals say the ecological tag has halted civic work even as the area has urbanised over two decades. Sewerage lines have not been laid, and without pattas, bank loan is nearly impossible.“Why would builders come? Neither the builders nor their potential customers would get bank loans for properties located here. There are only a few NBFCs offer loans for house construction and purchase, but that too comes at a very high rate of interest,” said Amit Kumar, a Bagrana resident.Previous sarpanch of Vijaypura, Ram Avatar Shirsiya, alleged the merger was aimed more at increasing JMC’s scheme-linked funding than resolving residents’ problems. “UDH ministry gives money to urban local bodies for various schemes where the amount generally depends on the area and population. JMC’s jurisdiction has been increased to ensure that the amount is also increased. We have our doubts on JMC’s development works in these areas that carry ecological status,” said Shirsiya.
