As Maharashtra eagerly awaits the outcomes of the not too long ago concluded Meeting elections, the way forward for a slew of civic and infrastructure initiatives in Mumbai, that are estimated at about Rs 10,705, may even be decided by the political alliance that can kind the federal government in state.
Since 2022, the BMC is being run by a state-appointed administrator and up to now two years, civic authorities introduced and initiated a number of initiatives that have been mooted and endorsed by the ruling Mahayuti authorities together with Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.
Tasks like concretisation of Mumbaiās roads, the Gargai Pinjal Plant and creation of an open park at Mahalaxmi Race Course have been mooted and endorsed by the ruling authorities. Nevertheless, initiatives just like the desalination plant, conceived in the course of the earlier Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) regime, have been placed on the back-burner in the course of the current authoritiesās tenure.
These incidents have led to a number of political slugfests between the stateās ruling and opposing alliances within the final two years. Whereas MVA has introduced they may scrap these initiatives when voted to energy, Mahayuti has emphasised the significance of those initiatives for Mumbaiās holistic improvement.
The Mahalaxmi Race Course
This venture has sparked a lot political slugfest for greater than a yr now. The BMC in January this yr had proposed taking up a serious chunk of the race course land and growing it right into a public park. CM Eknath Shinde endorsed the transfer, saying it might add an extra 120-acre of open-green area to the town.
In the meantime, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief and MLA Aaditya Thackeray overtly labelled it as a land-grabbing transfer by Mahayuti authorities in a method to commercialise the whole plot. Aaditya additionally mentioned the proposal can be scrapped if MVA involves energy. He had mentioned he stands towards any try to seize the 226-acre open area in Mahalaxmi. āWe’re saddled with excessive air pollution with no authorities official even bothering to reply or act to resolve it. We are able toāt let go of our open areas on the whims of a BJP sponsoredāCM who desires to construct constructions on it,ā Aaditya had mentioned in a social media submit.
āThe open park at Mahalaxmi Race Course goes to be a present to Mumbaikars. 120 of the 226 acres shall be developed into an open area as an oxygen park. No building shall be carried on the market. Our imaginative and prescient is to remodel Mumbai in one of the best curiosity of the town,ā he had mentioned.
Gargai-Pinjal water provide venture and desalination plant:
To cater to rising want for water, BMC in 2016 had mooted the proposal of constructing a community of dams at Gargai-Pinjal and Damanganga-Pinjal river hyperlinks in Palghar district. It was mooted by then CM Devendra Fadnavis and BMC had earmarked a price range of Rs 3,100 crore.
Work on this venture was in full swing however when Uddhav Thackeray led-Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) got here to energy in 2019, this venture was halted citing environmental considerations because the venture would require reducing of 4.5 lakh bushes. In its place, the MVA authorities floated the proposal of developing a Rs 1,600 crore desalination plant outfitted to produce 440 million litres of water per day (MLD).
BMC had floated tenders for the desalination plant final yr, and scrapped them in September this yr citing poor response from bidders.
When in 2022, the ShindeāFadnavis led Mahayuti authorities got here to energy, the Gargai Pinjal venture was rekindled. BMC had additionally acquired land in Chandrapur for finishing up compensatory afforestation for the venture.
Not too long ago, whereas Mumbai suffered a chronic interval of water scarcity, BJP MLA and Mumbai president of occasion Ashish Shelar took a dig on the MVA authorities for scrapping the venture.
āDesalinating of seawater has a number of damaging environmental impacts, in addition to being very expensive. We had pointed this out however the MVA authorities nonetheless pushed for it, whereas additionally cancelling the Gargai-Pinjal venture citing trivial points to profit their contractor buddies,ā Shelar had mentioned.
Nevertheless, Aaditya maintained his stand of rekindling the desalination plant over the Gargai Pinjal venture. āEven when one constructs a dam, the place will you get the water from if there isn’t any rain? We have to shift from rain dependency to different sources. A decade in the past, producing one litre of water by means of desalination value Rs 27, immediately, it’s right down to Rs 11.50. The price of water provided by dams is much like that of desalination,ā Aaditya had mentioned in certainly one of his campaigning occasions.
Street concretisation
After forming authorities in 2022, the Shinde-Fadnavis authorities introduced concretisation of 397 km of Mumbai roads at a price of Rs 6,000 crore in a bid to make them pothole-free. Nevertheless, SenaāUBTās Aaditya Thackeray overtly opposed this venture labelling it to be a rip-off. He had additionally alleged that the valuation of this venture was inflated many folds and had written to the municipal commissioner, urging him to scrap this venture.
The SenaāUBT chief additionally alleged inflation of the price of this venture.
In the meantime, CM Shinde in his speeches has maintained that the venture will remodel Mumbai roads.
