BMC had become ‘private property’ of some, but we are now giving it back to people: Fadnavis takes swipe at Uddhav-led Sena

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Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday targeted the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena, saying the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had become a “private property” of some individuals, but the present state government has decided to hand it over to people again.

He also said that in order to prevent irregularities, the construction of concrete roads in the city will be monitored through a satellite.

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) was in power in the BMC for the last 25 years.

Fadnavis was speaking at the launch of 500 projects that the BMC has undertaken in the city’s eastern and western suburbs as part of the ‘Mumbai Beautification Project’. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde launched these projects at Andheri Sports Complex in Andheri.

Shinde took over as the chief minister of the state after Uddhav Thackeray stepped down from the post following a rebellion by 40 Shiv Sena MLAs led by Shinde in June this year. Fadnavis became the deputy CM. The rebellion split the Shiv Sena into two factions – one each led by Thackeray and Shinde..

Terming the Shinde-led government as “pro-people”, Fadnavis said, “This dispensation neither wants to make the municipal corporation as its property nor is it interested in making any property out of it.” “The municipal corporation of Mumbai, which was a public property, had gone into the hands of some people. It had become a private property for them. But now, chief minister (Shinde) and we have decided that since it belongs to people, it should go back into the hands of people,” Fadanvis said without naming anyone.

Since the term of the corporators ended earlier this year, the municipal commissioner was appointed as the administrator to look after the administrative affairs of the BMC till the elections are held.

Fadnavis said companies from national and international levels have now participated in the tender procedure for the construction of Rs 6,000 crore-worth concrete roads in Mumbai.

The senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said that “contractor-driven” road works won’t be undertaken in Mumbai henceforth.

“The new cement concrete roads, construction of which the BMC is going to start, will be monitored through a satellite. So nobody will be able to indulge in any irregularity. Five to seven years back, when we probed 200 road works, no quality material was found in them. Only husk was found, everything else was missing,” Fadnavis said, adding that such things will not be tolerated henceforth and the chief minister has given instructions to maintain quality.

“Earlier, the contractors from national and international levels used to get disqualified, while local contractors used to be given the road contracts,” he added.

He said that the present state government will get only two years to complete the works, and hence it will have to do it at a fast pace.

Speaking on the occasion, CM Shinde said that the civic body will undertake concretisation of more than 400 km long roads next year, which will turn Mumbai ‘pothole-free’ in the next two-and-a-half years.

“Mumbai is compared to small states since its budget size is big. Despite Mumbai being so prosperous, its citizens have to face troubles like potholes, debris and broken footpaths. Every year, potholes on roads are filled with asphalt, but they appear again,” Shinde said.

He said his government has decided to transform Mumbai and bring about a visible change.

Shinde said that the civic body is going to appoint 5,000 local persons as ‘Cleanliness Ambassadors’ (Swachhata Doot) as well as COVID warriors.

BMC commissioner/administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal said 1,200 works will be undertaken in the second phase of the Mumbai Beautification project.

On Thursday, the BMC had launched 500 works in the island city as a part of the ‘Mumbai Beautification Project’.