Development work hampered by lack of funds

Shefali Parab-Pandit, Mumbai, Saturday 26th

Lokmat News Network

Mumbai: For the past two years, the Municipal Corporation has been focusing on old projects due to the cancellation of 'excise tax' which is a financial backbone. Despite provision in the budget every year, some of these projects are still being carried out, while some projects are running at a slow pace even after starting. Ambitious projects like the Mumbai Sea Coast Road Project and the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) have been plagued by endless hurdles despite substantial provisions. The provision for FY 2018-2019 is also likely to be wasted.

Through taxes, a revenue of Rs. 7.5K crore was collected in the municipality's treasury every year. With the repeal of this tax from July 2017, funding for infrastructure projects began to dwindle and the administration decided to complete old projects instead of taking up new projects for the past 2 years. Accordingly, the budget made provision for ambitious coastal road projects, ongoing works under JMRL, Brimstowad project, sewage treatment plant and the opening of 35 schools under public-private partnership.

Out of the budget provision, only 30% is spent on development works every year. This year, Commissioner Ajoy Mehta is taking regular review meetings to review the work of each department. This year, till December 31, 2018, the municipal administration has claimed that 37% of the amount has been spent on development works..

The budget for financial year 2018-2019 will be announced in the first week of February. While work on major projects like Coastal Road has started only last month, JMLR is still stalled for permits. The waste-to-energy plant project is as good as discontinued.

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Even with funding, these projects are not moving forward..

A 29-km Coastal Road from Princess Street to Kandivali, in discussion since 2019, was allocated 1000 crore in FY 2017-18. But it took all of 2017 to obtain 17 types of various permits from the Center and the State. However in FY 2018-19, 1500 crore rupees was allocated for the coastal road for approx. 90 km from Princess Street to Sea Link. This work has started in the first month of the year, and so far only Rs. 230 crores have been spent. But the fisherman project still has to be done.

The Forest Department of Govt has been working for the last four years on a link road from Goregaon to Mulund. However, for this project, the State Corporation has recently got permission to route a tunnel through Sanjay Gandhi National Park. Accordingly a 4.7km-long tunnel will be constructed.Then, permission will be taken from the National Wildlife Commission 230 crores allocated for this project in the last financial year has not yet been spent.

A 350-crore cycle-track construction project in the vicinity of the Tansa channel too has not yet been completed. A provision of five crore rupees was made in the budget for beautification of Bandra fort.

Another ambitious project of the Municipal Corporation is generating electricity from waste. Provision is being made in the budget every year for this purpose. However, the foundations of this project have not yet been laid.

35 schools that were shut due to lack of students closed for lack of numbers were supposed to have started again on private government partnership. But this proposal still awaits approval from the education department.

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High Court's temporary stay on Bandra-Versova Sea-Link project

Lokmat News Network

Mumbai: The High Court has granted a two-week adjournment for erecting a cement pillar after filling an area in Juhu Koliwada for Bandra-Versova Sea Link Project. A bench of Chief Justice Naresh Patil and Justice N.M. Jamdar gave the above directions to the MSRDC.

Cement pillars are being illegally erected on the sea shore at Juhu Koliwada. RTI activist Zoru Bhathena has claimed through a PIL that the necessary permits have not been obtained.

Soil is being dumped on the sea shore for the pillar. Therefore, sea water reaches the mangroves. In a way, the environment is getting damaged. About 7.9 hectares of sea will be affected due to this pillar, said senior advocate Gayatri Singh on behalf of Bhathena. Singh told the court, 'All necessary permissions have been obtained for the project by MSRDC. The court directed the MSRDC to stop work on the project for two weeks, leaving the Santacruz police to see if the order is complied with.