JOIN USPolitics over road concretisation programme in Mumbai
Ahead of kickstarting a mega Rs 6,100 crore 400-km road concretisation project in Mumbai by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a massive war-of-words has broken out between the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-Balasahebanchi Shiv Sena combine and the Uddhav Thackeray-led group of Shiv Sena.
It is pertinent to note that the Shiv Sena had been ruling the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) - occupying the Mayoral seat - for quarter of a century.
Thackeray's son and Yuva Sena President Aaditya Thackeray, who is an MLA from Worli, has raised several questions vis-a-vis the project and has shot off letters to BMC’s Municipal Commissioner and Administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal.
Aaditya’s target is Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who heads the BSS and holds the Urban Development Ministry.
However, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has now hit out at Aaditya.
In absence of an elected body, the administrator reports directly to the urban development minister.
Aaditya had asked how fair is it for the administrator to propose and himself sanction the concretisation of roads. “There are no elected representatives in the BMC, there is no mayor, there is no standing committee, how can concretisation of 400-km road be sanctioned in one go…besides, one has to remember that below the roads there are 42 utilities,” Aaditya said, adding that the tenders were floated at a higher price for the benefit of contractors and the same should be scrapped.
“In many places, asphalt has been used for years and they are still good...who has taken the decision, the unconstitutional chief minister or super chief minister,” he had said in an indirect reference to Shinde and Fadnavis.
"Once we construct concrete roads, they will remain for 40 years," Fadnavis said, adding: “The real pain behind such criticism is they will not get a certain percentage and commission for sanctioning work orders from construction companies. They were used to this practice for the last many years.”
Fadnavis pointed out that when he was the chief minister between 2014-19, he had ordered a probe which found that 200 roads in Mumbai had no lower layer. “This is how they used to issue work orders for road constructions every year and get a certain amount of percentage at the time of sanctioning," he said.
When asked whether Modi's visit is linked to BMC polls, state BJP President Chandrashekhar Bawankule said: "The matter is in the Supreme Court...it is not yet settled, when the polls would be ordered, we don't know...the visit is all about development of Mumbai."