Newly announced projects must stand test of time

Eknath Shinde

Ahead of the Maharashtra Assembly elections, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde is on a project launching spree. He recently inaugurated 18 projects and attended a ground-breaking ceremony of 14 projects worth Rs 1,300 crore. The BMC is going to spend around Rs 780 crore on the beautification of the surroundings of various temples. The cost of developing the Siddhivinayak temple corridor alone is Rs 500 crore.

Under this project, an area spanning 5 km will be developed. The beautification of the Mumbadevi area will cost Rs 220 crore, and the BMC will spend Rs 60 crore for the Mahalaxmi corridor. The CM also said that the state government had started and expedited various infra projects in the past two years. Netas are certainly on a spree as the elections are weeks away. While this is expected, we must see that all these projects are necessary and actually seen through to completion by whoever comes to power.

The announcements must fructify to solid action and the infra must stand the test of time. Simply announcing projects and then doing some kind of slapdash job to prove a point will be counter-productive. The projects must serve the purpose for which they were started in the first place and they must have some timeline for completion.

The elections do not mean making some kind of promises, with some vague noises made when asked about follow-ups or when the project will see the light of day. Besides all this gusto for new projects, leaders need to ensure that existing infra or schemes that seem mired in red tape are also given attention. Existing facilities are upgraded and repairs done if needed. An eye on the ballot box or EVM machine does not mean simply rushing to inaugurate and open amenities or announcing random projects.