Giving a categorical assurance to make Mumbai a livable city, the Congress-NCP alliance has pledged to oust the ‘corrupt’ Shiv Sena-BJP from India’s prestigious civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). While releasing the joint manifesto, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and his Deputy Ajit Pawar vowed to end the misrule of the saffron combine.
The Congress and NCP, who have forged an alliance for the BMC elections, released their much awaited joint manifesto on Wednesday at Yashwantrao Chavan centre. Speaking at the occasion, Chavan said, “Our alliance is determined to wrest the control of BMC from Sena-BJP. This duo, which has been in power for last 17 years, has virtually ruined this body with large scale corruption. We are committed to eradicate this rampant corruption and provide good governance. Due to the Sena-BJP misrule, Mumbai has lost its glory. As per a recent survey conducted in 134 cities of the world, Mumbai ranks 117.”
He added further, “Both the Congress and the NCP tried their level best to forge an alliance in Mumbai for the last two civic polls. But in 2002 and 2007, because of some differences over seat sharing, we failed to join hands. This time around, we made sure that secular votes are not divided. Now the time has come to throw out these elements from BMC,” he added further.
The CM pointed out that due to lack of land in Mumbai, vertical growth is inevitable. However, due to shortage of infrastructure and growing population, there is a hindrance. “If we don’t arrest this negative growth, Mumbai can go the Kolkata way. So, our manifesto outlines the vision to make Mumbai a livable city. The first impression anybody gets of the city is that of congestion and slums. We have decided to change this situation by taking corrective measures on this front.”
Giving assurance to Mumbaikars, Chavan said, “The Congress-NCP alliance will ensure that all citizens, irrespective of the language they speak and the region they come from, will live and work here with respect and dignity.”
The manifesto also promises administrative reforms with greater emphasis on e-governance, besides formulation of a five-year plan for city’s development. Apart from this, both parties have promised to focus on garbage disposal and cleanliness, water supply projects, roads and public health.