MUMBAI, June 9: In Kalyan to inaugurate the ``state-of-the-art'' Bhoir gymnasium at Dombivli, Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray did not venture out to try any of the equipment. However, he seemed to revel in his verbal gymnastics later at the press conference organised at the government guest house.``I will not allow any maniacs to come and undo what we have achieved,'' said Thackeray referring to the opposition faced by the alliance government to both the Enron and the Mandwa project from the environmentalists' lobby.Alongwith him were the state labour welfare minister, Shabir Sheikh, the Thane guardian minister, Ganesh Naik, the KDMC commissioner, Prithviraj Bayas and Mayor Ramesh Dalwi. Thackeray was in his elements while hitting out at Medha Patkar for inciting the humble villagers and getting them to join an agitation over a non-issue. ``Who is she trying to teach about rehabilitating the project-affected? As if we don't know how to go about caring for our people? People like her are only publicity hungry and will go to any limit to stall any kind of development.''On the environmental cost of these projects too, he had similar views. ``Do you think the thousands of people outside who are cheering the alliance government for its achievements are mad? Why will we do anything to hurt our own land? All this talk of the cashew and mango orchards being affected is untrue. '' He was also critical of the opposition that is coming up to the idea of a Mumbai-Pune Expressway. ``First the EC kept our hands tied by saying that the code of conduct was on whenever we tried to do something constructive. Now this green lobby is trying to do the same. The moment we take on a project we have to face morchas and court injunctions. The same people will in the end ask `What have you achieved in all these years?' It does not require exceptional intelligence to see who is behind all this. The media knows them too well,'' he said. Earlier, Thackeray was accorded a grand welcome at the Kaliti naka where the KDMC limits begin. He was taken around Kalyan to ``observe the various developmental projects undertaken by the Kalyan-Dombivli Municipal Corporation (KDMC)."After the gym, also waiting to be inaugurated were two public squares and a shakha. The latter caused some embarrassment to the civic officers as it was added to the itinerary at the last moment. The cosmetic touch-up given to all the areas on Thackeray's route was missing here. Though damage-control exercises were taken up by a battery of sweepers, they could achieve little to spruce up the place.
