@RavikiranRKD
With almost 15,000 new cases of Covid-19 registered on a single day, Maharashtra is set to witness more lockdown-like curbs in public life. If the state is forced to go for another spell of a lockdown, things are certain to go from bad to worse thanks to the unemployment and decline in trade and business for the last year. In the end, it is going to affect the functioning of the state machinery very badly.
Surprisingly, the state’s annual budget presented by Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar has predicted Rs. 10226 crore as revenue deficit for the upcoming financial year, and the state loan going up to Rs 6.15 lakh crore. A question now arises how the state government is going to fulfil its commitment towards people when over Rs 66,000 crore will be the gap between the state expenditure and its annual income.
As if things have been as normal as before the Covid-19 pandemic, the government announced an increase in the MLAs local area development fund and restored a 30 per cent cut into their monthly remunerations. While the legislator’s fund will now go up by one crore making it Rs. 4 crores per annum, the monthly salary would go somewhere near Rs. 2.75 lakh per month. It must be noted that almost 60 per cent of the state income goes towards salaries, pensions and servicing its massive debt.
State per capita income is also on the decline and it is projected to go down below Rs 2 lakh, threatening to take the state to number 10 position compared to other states, which used to be a number one or two at once upon a time. When the state economy shows downward trends, the central assistance is also reduced by Rs 14,000 crore offering another jolt. It comes as a surprise when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders boast of Narendra Modi-led central government’s assistance to the state. Soon after the Union Budget was presented to the Parliament, Devendra Fadnavis, leader of opposition in the state assembly had claimed that it offered Rs 3 lakh crore in favour of Maharashtra.
On this background, various announcements by the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government sounds more like a political face-saving. One can not understand why some populist announcements have been made like a provision towards the development of infrastructure.
While on the financial front the picture is gloomy, it’s not encouraging on the administrative side either. The recent outrage by students witnessed after Maharashtra public service commission (MPSC) announced the cancellation of exams for the recruitment of state government posts, came as a glaring example. The Uddhav Thackeray-led government had to do a lot of homework before asking MPSC to hold the exams on a fresh date.
The administrative lacunas painted a worrisome picture when two different committees led by senior bureaucrats submitted conflicting reports on the construction of a depot for Metro rail at Aarey Colony and Kanjurmarg. While a report submitted during the Devendra Fadnavis-led government favoured Aarey Colony, another report by an MVA government-appointed committee favoured Kanjurmarg as the location. It only exposed the weak side of the administration.
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Another episode is about the school fee hike which has created huge resentment among the parents. Though it was debated for a long and fought legally, the government was not forthcoming in clearing its stand except a decision asking school managements not to impose the fee hike. The government authorities met the association of parents after much persuasion to address the issue.
Now a nine-member committee has been formed comprising state officers only. It is expected to suggest amendments to Maharashtra Fee Regulation Act-2011. The government is not ready to go beyond this act when parents across the state are facing threats by school authorities either to pay fees or transfer their wards to another school. The reason behind the lethargy on part of the government has much to do with the fact that most of the schools are run by politicians and they are against any proactive stand.
The collapse of governance does not end here. Another example is about regularisation of illegal constructions and the regularisation of the sale of free homes by the beneficiaries from the slum redevelopment projects. While the High Court has asked several questions over regularization of illegal constructions, the state urban development department and civic authorities, particularly from Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) have no firm solution to offer. The HC has warned to summon Commissioners of the civic bodies and the secretary of the state Urban Development Department (UDD) if no clear data of it was not provided.
This issue has been long pending with political leniency towards the illegalities. HC has now asked how a construction categorised as illegal can be regularised and the state is expected to clear its stand soon. Politics apart, this tendency has thrown the civic sense haywire and created huge problems.
The state is also contemplating allowing the sale of free housing units received under a scheme approved by the Slum Redevelopment Authority (SRA). While the state rule says it can not be sold for 10 years, several instances have come to light where the norms have been flouted. Now the HC has asked the government to clear its stand. The state housing minister Jitendra Awhad has said the government may allow the sale after five years from the demolition of the slum. As hardly any slum redevelopment scheme is completed before five years, it means the free home can be sold the next day after possession. It may come as a big bonanza to developers.
Another example came to light when a US-based daily reported that hackers from China were responsible for the power outage in Mumbai. Two ministers from the MVA government reacted quickly without giving serious thought to it even as the Union government denied any corroborating evidence on it. Questions were raised as to why the state did not reveal the report submitted by a committee comprising senior officials and experts if it was a fact.
Even the Opposition failed to create confidence among people by putting the government on the mat on all such issues of public interest. It can be said politics has gained supremacy over the pressing issues faced by the general public. BJP used maximum opportunities to corner the MVA government on tainted minister Sanjay Rathod’s removal from the cabinet and demanding action against API Sachin Vaze holding him responsible for the mysterious death of Mansukh Hiren whose vehicle was found parked near industrialist Mukesh Ambani’s residence with explosives.
