Gives support but on 14 conditions
Gives support but on 14 conditions
A day after vehemently opposing the implementation of the smart city project in the state, Shiv Sena has softened its stand, giving conditional approval to it in the BMC on Tuesday. The nod from the Sena came just a few hours before the deadline of the project submission at the Centre.
Interestingly, the MNS, which had also opposed the project, extended its support in the BMC along with Sena and BJP. Congress and Samajwadi Party continued their opposition and voted against the project in the BMC while NCP remained absent during the process.
The state government has sent a proposal of 10 cities to be selected for the Smart City Mission to the Union urban development department which include Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Amravati, Solapur, Nagpur and Aurangabad. Tuesday was the last date of the submission of the proposal with the Centre.
On Monday, the Sena termed the entire smart city project a ploy to separate Mumbai from Maharashtra. Lashing out at the Centre and the BJP-led state government, the Sena had said it is converting Mumbai into a Central government colony. The Sena even said that it would not let the city fall into the hands of multi-national companies in the name of smart cities. However, the Sena came out in support of the project on Tuesday with 14 conditions , which include giving rights to the BMC to decide the area of smart city. Another condition is that 85 per cent locals should be given priority in 60 lakh jobs to be created. Further, there should be no private equity in the project and the BMC should have the right to decide members of a special purpose vehicle (SPV).
The conditions were put forth in the house by Standing Committee chairman Yashodhar Phanse in the house. “The SVP should not have power to impose toll or tax. If all these conditions are not approved, the Centre must not approve the Mumbai proposal,” he aid.
On the other hand, another Sena MLA and Corporator Sunil Prabhu said, “It must be asked by why areas like Parel and Dadar, or even underdeveloped areas such as Dharavi were not shortlisted.”
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis had refused to accept any opposition to the smart city project on Monday while speaking in the legislature. He had said, “The project is to provide essential services efficiently. All smart cities across the world have done good for poor and this scheme will do the same.” He assured that SPVs would not take any rights from the corporations.
