BMC only addressing issues near CM’s house and Aaditya Thackeray’s constituency: BJP MLA Ashish Shelar

“It is unfortunate that the BMC does not care about areas apart from these two. Why is BMC giving step motherly treatment to the people living in other parts of Mumbai? Are they less important or don’t have the right to civic amenities?” Shelar asked.

“The annual BMC budget is a mammoth Rs 34,000 crore. Even if we consider on the lower side, Rs 30,000 crore, it adds to Rs 1.5 lakh crore in five years. The population of Mumbai is 1.2 crore. Out of these, the rich families don’t seek anything from BMC. Which means, Rs 1.50 lakh crore was spent on 70 lakh people of Mumbai. The question is where has the amount gone? The roads are in a pathetic condition across the city and its suburbs. There is a recurring drinking water problem. Even the basic amenities are not provided to the citizens,” Shelar alleged.

He added, “The cyclones Nisarga and Tauktae wrecked the lives and homes of thousands of people along the coastal stretch in Mumbai. The people were roofless as houses had collapsed. The BMC has a surplus fund of Rs 80,000 crore. It earns Rs 1,600 crore as interest from the fixed deposit of Rs 80,000 crore. Unfortunately, not a penny was given to rehabilitate the cyclone-affected families.”

In a memorandum submitted to BMC, BJP said, “There should be 50% incentive in water and road tax…As promised in the past, the BMC should waive property taxes on houses up to 500 square feet.”