Maharashtra: Sena MLA makes contractor sit on water-logged road for 'improper' work

Shiv Sena MLA from Chandivali in Mumbai made a contractor sit in a waterlogged stretch of a road and got some civic workers pour garbage on him, alleging that the latter had not carried out the drain cleaning work properly.

The incident that took place on Saturday, invited criticism from the BJP, which said that Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray must speak on the matter and tell if the behavior of MLA Dilip Lande was justified. Speaking to reporters, Lande said, "The contractor was supposed to clean Sanjay Nagar nullah, which he has not done properly. When the area started getting water-logged during the rain, I called him, but he did not come. When some Shiv Sainiks and I started working towards clearing the drain and the road, the contractor arrived."

Justifying his act, the legislator said, "I did this because I wanted the contractor to realise his responsibility. Due to the drain not being cleaned properly, there was water-logging on LBS Road, which greatly inconvenienced people in the area. The contractor was supposed to deploy 3-4 people at the spot to ensure water recedes quickly, but when I reached there, no one was present."

Meanwhile, Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Pravin Darekar criticised Lande and demanded that the CM clarify if such behavior was justified. Incidentally, the Shiv Sena is the ruling party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), mandated with carrying out all civic works in the metropolis, including making it monsoon-ready annually. The city had received heavy rains in the past few days.