After tourist destination, BMC mulls sports facility in Mulund as poll season sees fresh political barbs being exchanged in legislature
BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha
After approving a bird park, Mulund may now get a golf course. Municipal Commissioner Bhushan Gagrani is understood to have cleared a proposal to conduct a feasibility study for another golf course in Mumbai.
In a veiled attack on the Shiv Sena (UBT), BJP MLA Mihir Kotecha said those who previously ruled the civic body often projected themselves as nature and animal lovers but “did nothing for the city”. Speaking during the state legislature’s winter session in Nagpur, he said, “After nearly 100 years, Mulund will get a bird park, a new tourist destination in Mumbai. I have also learnt that the BMC commissioner has approved a feasibility study for a golf course in Mulund.”
Kotecha’s emphasis on new civic projects in the eastern suburbs, and his pointed remarks at Sena (UBT), are being seen as a sign that the ruling party is sharpening its focus on Mumbai ahead of the high-stakes BMC elections. The previous BMC polls were held in 2017. Although the term ended in 2022, the next elections were delayed due to a reservation case before the Supreme Court. The apex court has now directed that all pending local body elections in Maharashtra, including the BMC polls, be completed before January 31, 2026.
Until 2017, the undivided Shiv Sena and BJP shared power in the civic body. In 2017, they contested separately, with Sena winning 84 seats and the BJP close behind with 82 of the total 227 wards. The BJP has long aimed to secure the BMC on its own, and the split in the Sena has given the party its strongest opening yet. During the session, Kotecha also raised Mumbai’s rising water demand, saying the government would need to consider constructing additional dams.
NCP-SP MLA Jitendra Awhad highlighted several civic concerns. He said the new Development Control Regulations have allowed taller buildings while the city’s roads remain unchanged. “The population is rising, but the roads are the same. I don’t see a solution to this. What are we going to do in the future?” he asked, pointing to growing traffic at Ghodbunder, Kalwa, and Mumbra.
Awhad also said the service road at Ghodbunder Road has “vanished”, alleging that MMRDA erected pillars on it. “The court has also questioned the authority, as 22 people have died due to traffic on this road in the last year,” he said.
‘We’d keep our promises’
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said financial assistance under the Ladki Bahin Yojana would be increased to Rs 2100 at the appropriate time. Responding to Congress leader Nana Patole’s question about when the promise of raising the benefit to Rs 5000 per month would be fulfilled, Shinde said, “We are committed to the promises made during the Assembly polls. At the right time, the right decision will be taken.” NCP-SP leader Jayant Patil said the government should file cases against ineligible people who received benefits under the scheme and also hold accountable officials who failed to verify beneficiaries.
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