BMC projects: Sena says ‘we did it’,Oppn doesn’t agree

“Now that BMC elections are close,the Sena has defaced the entire city with posters claiming they have delivered 100 per cent of what they promised when they were elected to power in 2007. A lot of the promises,such as uninterrupted water supply,regular disposal of garbage and good roads,still remain a pipe dream for this city. Moreover,it is the support of corporators across parties and the civic administration that has led to the good work and not just due to Shiv Sena-BJP alone,” said Singh.

However,Shiv Sena leader Sunil Prabhu said the Congress is finding it difficult to accept the ongoing campaign as it creates a positive image of the Sena in the minds of the voters. “A lot of good work has happened in the BMC administration only because of the able leadership of the Sena and BJP. Certain big ticket projects like the Middle Vaitarna dam got delayed because the Congress-ruled Centre sat on its environmental clearance for over seven years,” Prabhu said.

Congress corporators also pointed to the lack of credit given to Central government for its funding. Congress corporator Sameer Desai said while the Sena readily announced the success of the Middle Vaitarna dam,it forgot to mention that Rs 1,400 crore of the total project cost of Rs 2,000 crore,and Rs 1,200 crore grant for the storm water drainage project BRIMSTOWAD,has been funded by the Centre under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission.

“The Sena claimed excellence in governance,but I can list so many core areas where it has failed. For improving octroi collection,BMC had proposed scanners in 2007,but nothing has happened so far. Since 2007-08,the BMC has not spend more than 50 per cent of the total money earmarked for capital expenditure in the budget each year. Also,Rs 17 crore is being earmarked for the ‘Gender Budget’ every year for the past four years,but not a penny has been utilised,” Desai said.