Expressing dissatisfaction with its own administration, the Shiv Sena passed the buck and said it will not take responsibility for completion of nullah desilting works before the monsoon this year.
Expressing dissatisfaction with its own administration, the Shiv Sena passed the buck and said it will not take responsibility for completion of nullah desilting works before the monsoon this year. After last year’s flooding during the monsoons, questions are being raised by the Opposition over the city’s monsoon preparedness this year as well.
While municipal commissioner Ajoy Mehta declared that about 40 per cent of the desilting work is over in the nullahs, leader of the House Trushna Vishwasrao said she is “extremely dissatisfied”.
Later, Shiv Sena delcared that should another deluge happen during the monsoon this year, the Sena government cannot be held responsible. It will be the BMC’s fault, and not the ruling party’s, the party said.
Standing Committee chairman Yashodhar Phanse also blamed its coalition partner BJP for not sharing the responsibility in keeping a tab on the administration’s work. Mr Phanse said, “BJP has only been trying to show the Sena in bad light, when it has also helped us pass all proposals. It is only pointing at things that are going wrong.”
Mr Vishwasrao said, “Every year, desilting proposals come for the standing committee’s approval by March. This year one proposal came in the first week of May and another came on Monday this week. The work will not get over in time for the monsoon. The BMC has missed all deadlines.”
Mr Phanse said the administration has provided very little information on where the silt will be dumped this year, which is a resonating reminder of last’s year’s desilting scam. He said, “If the city suffers this year again, it is the administration’s fault for not completing the work on time.”
Defending the administration, additional municipal commissioner Sanjay Deshmukh said, “We are not behind schedule and all nullah desilting work is happening on time. Instead of blaming the administration, we should all ensure work is completed before May.”
Mr Deshmukh said that in the case of the two proposals that were tabled before the standing committee in May, the BMC opened tenders three times and no bidders came forward. This was the fourth call, which is why the proposals were tabled late.
