Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Friday slammed the Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government over the functioning of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), citing its decision to scrap tenders worth more than Rs 5,000 crore for concretisation of roads.
Addressing a press conference, Thackeray, whose party controlled the cash-rich BMC for around 25 years, also attacked the government over the transfers of civic officials.
“It is tender, transfer and timepass. There is dictatorship and autocracy in the BMC and officials are working under pressure,” Thackeray alleged. Tenders worth more than Rs 5,000 crore to concretise Mumbai's potholed roads were recently scrapped, he said.
“Whoever says that the roads will be without potholes is lying. How are they building roads worth Rs 5,000 crore?” the former minister said, attacking the chief minister.
While road repairs are undertaken from October 1 to June 1, November is coming to an end and still the process of re-tendering has not been initiated, he said. At least 42 utilities need to be taken care of in coordination with 16 agencies, including the traffic police, the Shiv Sena leader said.
“When will tenders be out so that work can be completed? Because of Rs 5,000 crore, this year's work and the last two years' work has slowed down,” Thackeray said.
“If during the next monsoon season Mumbai suffers and roads are left dug up, the unconstitutional chief minister will be held responsible,” he said. He further claimed that major work was being done in the absence of the mayor, standing committee and improvements committee.
The term of BMC corporators ended in February this year, following which the control went in the hands of the administrator, or indirectly the state government.
Hitting out at the state government for transfer of officials, Thackeray alleged that some officials had been transferred six times in the last 90 days and in some cases, thrice in 24 to 48 hours and twice in 24 hours.
(With PTI Inputs)
