By Hemang Palan

X: @hemang_palan

Addressing NDA MPs recently, Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi said that reforms should be citizen-centric in India, not just economic or revenue focussed. He further stated that the goal should be to remove everyday hurdles of people so that they can grow to their full potential.

Gujarat’s Veraval Port-Somnath Temple region-based real estate developers association has drafted a letter addressed to Gujarat CM Bhupendrabhai Patel, urging him to implement citizen-centric reforms by looking into the concerns related to local town planning regulations.

The letter's draft primarily draws attention to the problems and important issues related to town planning policies laid by Somnath Urban Development Authority (SUDA) – Government of Gujarat’s body constituted in April 2025 to oversee the integrated planning and development of the Somnath-Veraval-Patan region. The regulations implemented by SUDA cover town planning schemes, construction permits, land use, and overall infrastructure development in the region.

SUDA’s primary objective is to develop Somnath as a major pilgrimage and tourism hub. New, stricter regulations have been introduced regarding construction; including a mandatory 40% land contribution for certain development categories. These regulations have reportedly led to a halt in some construction activities in the Veraval Port town as builders and local associations find the new rules "unjust" and "impractical" given the local geography (limited useful land due to proximity to the sea and rivers). Local political leaders and associations have raised concerns that the new regulations are hindering local development and affecting the livelihoods of construction workers and related small business owners. Protests and representations to the Gujarat CM have been threatened to simplify the procedures and offer flexibility in the rules.

A well-known citizen of Veraval said that SUDA should ideally provide an online facility through its portal to seek multiple services like permissions for building construction, NA for land, NA land layout approvals, etc. He said, "In certain cases, land parcels in the region were accorded NA status by the local authorities before SUDA got constituted. SUDA should thus not withhold the layout permissions of such lands. Temporarily, the government should hand over the authority to grant such approvals & permissions to Veraval Patan Joint Municipality. Dwarka Municipality has been assigned such powers by the government.”

A delegation of eminent citizens of Veraval and distinguished members of the local political fraternity are scheduled to meet Gujarat CM Bhupendrabhai Patel and Urban Development Minister of Gujarat, Kanubhai Desai during afternoon hours on December 31, 2025.

Although the Gujarat government's mission is to enhance tourist facilities and urban growth in the region of Veraval Port-Somnath, local citizens expect a reasonable and practical approach by SUDA as PM Modi’s good governance policies solely focus on restoring trust in the government. Builders association of Veraval expects a people-centric solution to problem solving from the Gujarat government.  SUDA should adopt collaborative governance.