Rest rooms at CNG stations, affordable lodging and meals: Mumbai Congress’s election manifesto for North Indians

Ahead of the upcoming Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections, the North Indian cell of the Mumbai Congress on Monday released a seven-point manifesto, focusing on the protection of dignity, self-employment, and social security for the North Indian community in Mumbai.

The manifesto, which was released in the presence of senior party leader Avinash Pandey, Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai, Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad and others, is the result of the ‘Samvad’ campaign, where the cell engaged directly with citizens to understand their core issues.

The manifesto promises implementation of a transparent Town Vending Committee election process and digital licences for all eligible vendors, expansion of CNG stations to include rest centres and workshop corners for free health check-up for drivers eyeing auto-taxi driver welfare, collaboration between the BMC and Railways to create large waiting areas outside stations during Diwali and Chhath Puja, offering lodging and meals for Rs10 to Rs 50; construction of permanent immersion ponds and ghats at beaches, featuring permanent changing rooms for women, lighting, and lifeguard stations as part of Chhath Puja infrastructure; construction of a ‘Pravasi Bhavan’ (travellers’ hall) to provide an affordable venue for cultural events and weddings; streamlining the licensing process for city dairies (tabelas) and moving water billing from commercial to subsidized rates.