Mumbai: Both BJP, Congress fight over choked Malad lake

Lotus Lake is choked with discarded liquor bottles and plastic waste Pic Nimesh DaveA choked lake has turned into a battleground for two Congress and BJP politicos Aslam Shaikh from the Congress and the BJPrsquos Gopal Shetty put up hoardings a month ago taking credit for the proposed longpending beautification of Lotus Lake in Maladrsquos Malwani But the sparring means little for the lake its surrounding area or the residents nearby A fund of R385 crore for the redevelopment was cleared nearly two months ago but the work is yet to beginLocals allege that the lake is a health hazard it is being used a dumping ground From plastic bags to empty liquor bottles every piece of junk imaginable can be found here The monsoon turns the filth into a death trap Some residents allege that in the absence of proper upkeep the lake has also turned into a den of antisocial elements So when the BMC cleared funds for its beautification two months ago hopes were raised But soon the Congress and the BJP came scrambling to earn brownie points pasted credithogging hoardings across the locality and began a political turf warWe mooted idea CongShaikh the Congressrsquo MLA from Malad West claims that his party was the one that mooted the beautification of the lake We wanted to do it ourselves initially I am already working on the redevelopment of a few similar spots in the locality But since a larger fund was required for Lotus Lake we wanted the civic body to take it up Itrsquos our persistence that got the project sanctionedHe says the project will take off post monsoon and entails maintenance and security provisions We will clean the lake first and after the rains abate we will construct a fence and begin other worksHe trashes the BJPrsquos stake to the project approval claiming that the Congress ward corporatorrsquos efforts had procured the nod The BJP workers are taking lessons from their higherups on stealing credit from Congress The ward corporator is from our party Why should the BJP take credit for it There are several decrepit spots in the locality that need sprucing up They can focus on thoseWe pushed for it BJPShetty MP from the cityrsquos north constituency comprising Malad says his party had been constantly pushing for funding for the project Even though we do not have a corporator from the area our representatives are aware of the localsrsquo problems and are working on resolving them When the work begins our people too will actively supervise the work so that there are no complaints in futureCagey localsAs the parties continue to lock horns locals wonder if the project will ever see the light of day Stanley Fernandez an activist from citizensrsquo forum SOUL says the beautification plan has been dangled before the residents several times There has never been a concrete plan of action discussed before Every time the civic body releases some funds a bit of work is done on the lake But it falls into ruin soon in the absence of maintenance He questions the ethics behind the Congress and the BJPrsquos tussle The project is the BMCrsquos Why then are politicians claiming credit for itFernandez says the lake had undergone a beautification three years ago Gates and a fence were built back then too But none of it was maintained There were no security personnel or lights We have only a few water bodies left in the city The civic body should strive to maintain themSangita Hasnale civic ward officer of the area confirms that funds for the redevelopment have been sanctioned by the BMC The gardens department will be responsible for the lake She refuses to comment on the tussle over credit saying If any of those posters are found to be unauthorised we will take them down