Chhani, Sama, Waghodia, Gotri, Maneja, Makarpura, Warasia and a few other areas became a part of Vadodara city in 1975 -- nine years after the VMC came into being in 1966 -- but the area that is now sought to be included in the civic limits is almost double the 33.12 km then incorporated.

Besides, Vadodara is already feeling the pressure of a growing population, lack of vision and planning, lopsided priorities and depleting resources, all of which reflect on the civic body's services.

The authorities may have done well to survey the recently included areas of Surat and Ahmedabad, which present a picture of neglect. Pre-plague Surat, in fact, resembled today's Vadodara, with the areas brought into the city in 1986 sorely deprived of amenities and services. Ahmedabad, especially the eastern part of the city, presents a similar picture.

The VMC tries to justify the expansion by pointing out that it'll bring the industrial houses on the outskirts into the octroi net. That is to say, it'll force the units -- and their residential colonies -- all of which use the city's resources, to pay for them. Also, it says, it'll expose many backward villages to ``planned development''.

When asked if the State government would be able to mop up revenue from the industrial houses -- after all, they come under the Notified Area Authority -- Civil Supplies Minister Jaspal Singh, who ``looks after'' Vadodara, said, ``The industries and their staff have been using the city's infrastructure for ages without paying anything. If the government has decided so, they must pay. But the modalities of the expansion are still being worked out''.

If the VMC expects to rake in revenue, it also has to take on the responsibility of 21 villages, thereby adding to the pressure on the civic services. More than 30 per cent of pre-expansion Vadodara doesn't have a sewage system; 60 per cent of the peripheral areas manage without stormwater drains. In fact, as many residents will vouchsafe, not a single municipal service is up to the mark.

The road network is getting bad to worse, while there are no Aroads to speak of in some of the peripheral areas. Illegal constructions and slums have mushroomed -- often on gutter lines -- much before town planning schemes were completed.

According to civic estimates, the corporation will need at least Rs 400 crores just to prepare and execute drainage and water master plans for the city.

Asked if the VMC would be able to take the pressure of the new areas, Municipal Commissioner G R Aloria, however, said, ``Yes, the scene is bad, but that is why we propose to extend the limits. (The area might include) 21 villages, but some of them are already developed and their population should not be more than a couple of lakhs. Against this, the revenue involved will be substantial''.