Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis opens up on everything that ails Mumbai and also speaks about ties with ally Shiv Sena ahead of the BMC polls in February
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been watching the BMC like a hawk in the past two years. As a result, he says, several scams have been unearthed even as those under scanner have developed cold feet.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis
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Fadnavis said Mumbai is very close to his heart and that he has always wondered why a rich corporation like the BMC hasn’t been able to develop the city as expected. Little wonder then that, he, after becoming the CM, started using powers vested in him – as CM and as in-charge of urban development – to ensure Mumbai gets its due.
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Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis chairing a recent war room meeting with officials who directly oversee the city’s infrastructure projects. Pic/Courtesy CMO
Asked about the idea of having a chief executive officer for a city that suffers from a lack of planning, and blatant misuse of taxpayers’ money, Fadnavis said that he had already put in place a mechanism that acts as the CEO’s office for the state capital – a war room in the Chief Minister’s Office that monitors all important projects in the city and elsewhere for its faultless planning and quick implementation.
“The war room in the CMO is the CEO of the city,” Fadnavis said. “When we have such an executive body in place, we don’t need any chief executive for the city.”
Read Story: The Fadnavis factor
Since Fadnavis heads the war room, he is in essence acting as the metro’s CEO. He also elaborated on several hot button issues directly impacting the city. Excerpts:
Will your government continue weeding out corruption in BMC? Is there a political motive?
Absolutely. But let me tell you there is no political motive. My only motive is to put in place a system that will work not on an outlay (expenditure) basis but on an output (results) basis. I always wondered why the richest corporation could not develop Mumbai as expected. Where does all that money go? It’s not just about corruption, but more about putting in place a transparent system. Major faults in planning and spending are responsible for that. My effort is to establish a system that will put the BMC’s resources to better use.
How do you stem corruption? People are fed up and are getting vocal ahead of civic polls...
There are ways of doing it. I recently received a report on road scams from the BMC. It says the percentage of quality concrete missing from recently laid roads ranges from 20 per cent to 100 per cent! It was superficial overlaying. The sad part is that the third party auditors too were part of the scam. The contractors had a cartel that did not allow any other party to win bids. It was like a restrictive tender that only select companies got. We have changed that now. We have set a standard for laying roads and we have changed tendering systems. You will see transparency in the BMC and the results will start showing soon.
How will you make transparency a reality? Misdeeds in the BMC seem well-guarded.
We are taking measures to make waste management and desilting work transparent by using technology. The BMC’s Building Proposal department has already gone digital and others are in the process. The state government has started creating a digital backbone for the BMC, which can use this architecture to serve citizens better. We will set up 1,200 Wi-Fi hotspots, which the BMC can use to provide smart services like parking and transport. My government may be ahead in having a digital interface, but it is also true that it has pushed the BMC to put basic services online, of which 16 are up. I’m confident going digital will make the BMC efficient and check corruption.
While you talk about making BMC digital, the civic body has not been able to provide efficient services. For example, BEST has lost all sheen. Local trains just give away every now and then...
The best way to tackle this is to integrate all transport. Single ticketing for all services will start in three to six months on a pilot basis. We need to increase the carrying capacity of suburban railways. I’m in constant touch with Rail Minister Suresh Prabhu. Mumbai will have a new signalling system soon to avoid delays. Two elevated railway corridors – Churchgate-Virar and CST-Panvel – are expected to change suburban commute. The Detailed Project Reports have been submitted to Niti Ayog. The state has even given railways its support document, where we have proposed to share the cost of building the corridors. There is no problem for this to take off because we have right of way (to build on existing tracks). Work on Metro corridors is on the right track. Monorail’s second phase will start in a month or two. Coastal Road and Transharbour link have got clearances.
While you do all this for the city, isn’t the BJP projecting itself as an alternative to the Sena, which has been in power for long?
There is no political motive in digging out corruption in the BMC. In politics, each party is expected to work to expand its base. The BJP and the Sena are two separate parties and they are within their right to grow. But one must understand that we are aware of the responsibility people have given us to run the state. We are together for the state, but independent of each other when it comes to enhancing our strengths.
Does this mean the BJP will go solo in BMC polls?
I can’t tell you right away, but what I can say is that any respectable (seat sharing) deal should bring us together. The BJP is stronger than ever in the city. We have 15 MLAs and 3 MPs. We are no less when it comes to local leadership. We have popular faces from all sections and many more will join us soon.
But then the BJP and the Sena are rarely seen on the same page. They fight, and every time Uddhav Thackeray and you have to sort things out.
We are two different parties but we bond over certain issues. I expect people from both parties to maintain peace. But it is equally true that the BJP reacts to action from the other side. Still, I expect responsible behaviour from rank and file of both parties.
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