First spell unleashes public fury at waterlogging, despite promises of flood-free monsoon this year
Eknath Shinde. File pic
When the reporters asked Chief Minister Eknath Shinde about the first monsoon onslaught on Saturday, he countered them with a request not to complain but to welcome the much-awaited rains. “Let’s welcome the rains which are good for the farmers. We have been waiting for it,” he said. However, following adverse news reports and public outcry, he ventured out in the next morning’s downpour to inspect chronic flooding spots such as Milan subway and also inspected the status of coastal road in Worli.
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Apparently, the CM was satisfied with the pumping system at Milan subway that he said had worked effectively even during the 70 mm rainfall the city received in an hour. He asked BMC officials to activate a similar system in other chronic flooding spots in the city. “I have personally come here to inspect the system,” he said.
This is Shinde’s second monsoon as the CM. He had assumed charge in June last year when the preparedness executed by the Thackeray-controlled administration was in the final phases. He has claimed very often that he had no powers in the BMC though he was the urban development minister in the MVA government. This year, Shinde has been in full control as the CM and in-charge of the urban development department, and yet he will face criticism just like his predecessors.
Tall claims sink
Why? To explain it, I quote substantially from mid-day’s news report on the city’s first rains. “Saturday’s rains (also) washed away all the tall claims of the civic body about nullah-cleaning work and installation of dewatering pumps. The BMC had in March stated that it was spending Rs 257 crore to clean the city’s major and minor nullahs, including the Mithi river. In order to prevent waterlogging in the low-lying areas, it had installed 477 dewatering pumps. But, following a heavy spell of rain on Saturday, several pockets in the city witnessed flooding, including Gandhi Market, Dadar TT, Sion, LBS Road, BKC connector, Kalachowkie, Sakinaka, and a road adjacent to Shivaji Park,” reported our civic correspondent Prajakta Kasale.
Apparently, the administration makes tall claims while convincing their political bosses, who then promise citizens an ‘undeliverable relief in the hour of crisis’. When the moment comes, the promises are washed down the city’s clogged drains. So, the BMC babus and their political bosses should refrain from promising what is not achievable in abnormal circumstances and stop playing to the gallery. For the record, Shinde had expressed his scepticism regarding the significance of statistics in nullah desilting after inspecting the work last month. “I have asked civic officials not to show the numbers, but to show the result. If the city will flood in the monsoon, we will take action,” he had assured the citizens while emphasising his focus on outcomes rather than statistics. Let’s see how Shinde’s radar zooms in on the malfunctioning and misleading workforce, including top BMC officials.
The Pawar game
The first half of 2023 should belong to Ajit Pawar, the Opposition leader in the Assembly, for constantly being in the news. He has been assessed by the media and political leadership ever since his failed coup in 2019. The possibility of the Shinde MLAs getting disqualified brought him under the spotlight yet again early this year because he was considered a potential leader who could have taken his flock of MLAs to stabilise the government. As defection talks died down, a series of events—his uncle and NCP head Sharad Pawar’s resignation and withdrawal, the restructuring of NCP’s national set-up that put his cousin Supriya Sule and Praful Patel as the second in command of the party—had Ajit at the centre stage.
Ajit ruffled many feathers in the NCP once again when he desired to quit as the leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, which is traditionally considered as the shadow CM’s position. The reason, he said, was that some people in the NCP had been saying that he was soft on the Shinde-Fadnavis government. If given an opportunity to work in the organisation, Ajit has promised to revive the party’s electoral prospects. His uncle hasn’t responded yet, but senior leader Chhagan Bhujbal has suggested that one of the other backward class (OBC) leaders be made the state president to erase an impression that the NCP was a Maratha-exclusive party. What will Pawar senior do? Let’s wait for his next move.
Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore
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