Most parties express strong opposition to proposal
Most parties express strong opposition to proposal
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Except the BJP, every other party including Congress, NCP, Shiv Sena and MNS were strongly opposed to the project which they argued would encumber smooth flow of the immersion procession during the Ganesh festival in the Mahatma Phule Mandai area.
"Ganesh festival is the cultural identity of the city and the skywalk may raise major problems," said Shrikant Patil of the NCP. He was supported by Ashwini Kadam, Ashok Harnawal, Nana Bhangire, Baburao Charete, Sunil Tingre, Chetan Tupe and Rajendra Barate.
Rajendra Barate of the MNS said the city required skywalks, but it was economically unviable. "When a 1.5-km long skywalk in Mumbai cost Rs 13 crore, why is it costing more than Rs 39 crore here?" he said. "The time for cost recovery is 38 years which is too long. It is only beneficial to the contractor who can let out space for shops and counters and earn as much as Rs 45 crore in this period," he said.u00a0
Study others
Ujjwal Keskar, an independent candidate, said hasty decision on the skywalk could spell a major loss for the PMC. Before taking any decision, the PMC should study other skywalk projects in the country and find an economically viable option," he said.
'No loss of face'
BJP's Ganesh Bidkar, chairman of the standing committee, said the scrapping of the project did not mean a loss of face for his party. "This is a democracy and any member has a right to reconsider a project. There is no point in continuing with the project if so many doubts are being raised about its feasibility," he said.
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