While the BJP boycotted the pujan citing the snub to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was not invited, the Shiv Sena took centre stage. Posters have sprung up all over the city, with both parties claiming credit for the coastal road
The Bhoomi poojan brouhaha, thanks to political war-mongering, marked the start of the Coastal Road project, one more arm in the city's travelscape. While the BJP boycotted the pujan citing the snub to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who was not invited, the Shiv Sena took centre stage. Posters have sprung up all over the city, with both parties claiming credit for the coastal road.
Yesterday, this paper carried an interview with the civic chief about the coastal road. Mumbaikars welcome yet another initiative when it comes to easing transport in the city, yet, there is a fatigue factor when it comes to squabbling about who takes credit for what. Our infra has been bogged down by political bickering so many times that citizens are disgusted at leaders taking the focus away from the amenities and instead putting up a sideshow about who takes credit for what.
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There have been numerous instances where people have waited for months or years for a facility to open, while parties bickered about who should inaugurate it, even if it something as humble as toilet blocks. At other times, protests and demonstrations erupt about what to name a particular piece of infra and who it should be named after. All these shenanigans take away from where the real concerns should be. How this facility will benefit people, will there be a balance between environment and development when making it, whether this is good for the city overall, the quality of construction, and finally, how it will be maintained.
All these questions do not apply to just mammoth projects like roads, but smaller ones too, like parks, a skywalk, or even a small foot overbridge at a station. It is time to veer away from these time-wasting fripperies, and get cracking on the real things that matter, such as utility, sticking to schedule and quality maintenance.
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