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This is an archive article published on August 15, 2012
Deshmukh set the ball rolling for citys makeover plans
Despite being hit by indefinite delays,the Mumbai Makeover plan announced by Vilasrao Deshmukh during his first stint as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra,is regarded by many as the precursor for the much-needed vision for the metropolis.
Written by Stuti Shukla
August 15, 2012 02:57 AM IST
3 min read
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Deshmukh set the ball rolling for citys makeover plans
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Despite being hit by indefinite delays,the Mumbai Makeover plan announced by Vilasrao Deshmukh during his first stint as the Chief Minister of Maharashtra,is regarded by many as the precursor for the much-needed vision for the metropolis. With a view to transforming Mumbai into Shanghai,Deshmukh had announced mega infrastructure initiatives worth Rs 2.25 lakh crore in 2003 to be taken up in the city and completed in the decade that followed. While a large part of the plan still remains on paper,many within and outside the government do not shy away from crediting Deshmukh for initiating the makeover of not just Mumbai,but also its neighbourhood.
Factors such as handling a coalition government,internal political resistance and lack of co-ordination among various government agencies in the city came in the way of Deshmukh and his plan,said Narinder Nayar,chairman of Bombay First,an NGO that worked closely with the state government for the implementation of the plan. An important breakthrough was the formation of the Empowered Committee that Deshmukh appointed to ensure co-ordination between government agencies and representatives of the private sector. Marine Drive beautification,modernisation of the international airport,Bandra-Worli Sea Link,work on the Bandra-Kurla Complex as a financial hub and preparation of a 40-year concept plan were some of the projects initiated during his tenure. A lot of work still remains due to innumerable delays in sanctions and lack of funding, said Nayar.
In February 2008,at the International Economic Forum (IEF) meet in Davos,Deshmukh had admitted that the pace of infrastructure development was very slow in Mumbai,as a result of which foreign investors were turning away from the city.
Controversies that surrounded Deshmukhs political career during 26/11 and the Adarsh Scam and his subsequent move to Delhi as a Union minister greatly reduced his involvement in the city.
Deepak Parekh,chairman of HDFC and member of the Empowered Committee,said despite impediments and bottlenecks,Deshmukh understood the needs of Maharashtra and the city. It is sad that vital projects such as Dharavi redevelopment,which were approved during Deshmukhs tenure,are still stuck. From the interaction that I had with him,I could gather that he genuinely had a dream for the city, he said.
Sanjay Ubale,former special secretary for Mumbai makeover plans who worked closely with Deshmukh,said one of the most important changes brought about by him was filling of the financial gap by involving Central funding for Mumbai projects. Deshmukh was the first Chief Minister to approach the Prime Minister for funding and got Manmohan Singhs approval for funding under the JNNURM. He also started other vital city projects such as Mithi River redevelopment and improvement of suburban railway system. Failures at the administrative level,court interventions in many cases regarding rehabilitation of project affected persons and lack of political backing are some of the reasons why his vision has not been achieved in the city so far, he said.
Providing impetus to vertical growth of the city was one of the decisions for which Deshmukh was criticised. Deshmukh,with a vision to create more housing,sanctioned various high-rise buildings during his tenure but drew flak for haphazard growth with local infrastructure development not being in sync.
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