'Missing' Thackerays mocked by Opposition

While Mumbaikars and Opposition parties are demanding answers to the deaths of six commuters in the foot overbridge collapse at CSMT, the head of the ruling party in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation Uddhav Thackeray, chose to attend an election meeting of the Sena-BJP in Amravati instead.

Opposition leaders, NCP chief Sharad Pawar, state Congress president Ashok Chavan and Mumbai Congress president Sanjay Nirupam ripped into the city administration, its political bosses and state government for making the city unsafe.

Insensitive Thackeray: Nirupam
Nirupam called Uddhav "insensitive towards Mumbaikars", considering he could spare no time to visit the accident spot or the kin of the victims. He said the growing accidents and BMC-made tragedies showed Uddhav's inability to run the civic body. He said it was high time citizens taught the Shiv Sena a lesson.

"They say they are in mission mode, but I say they all are on commission mode. The BMC is infested with Sena-BJP-sponsored corruption. The standing committee passed so many expensive proposals and tenders not for the sake of the city but to ensure hefty contributions to their own coffers," said Nirupam. Some Sena MPs, corporators and leaders visited the spot on Thursday night and Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called on the injured and condoled the deaths before leaving for a political event that was attended by Thackeray and his son Aaditya.

The son had tweeted condolences and assured strict action against the guilty. A Sena spokesperson said the party MPs had already visited the spot, hospitals and extended all help to the people affected.

Calling it criminal negligence of the worst kind, Nirupam said, "Enough is enough." The Congress city president after visiting the injured at St George Hospital in Mumbai, demanded that the chief minister take immediate action against Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta and Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar and sack them.

"Every time innocent Mumbaikars die, but the CM takes no action? The CM's response has been the same during the Kamala Mills fire, that killed 14, the Elphinstone foot overbridge stampede that killed 23, Andheri's Gokhale Bridge collapse that killed and now the CST Bridge collapse. His assurances are meaningless," said Nirupam. Ex-CM Chavan said if there was any morality left in the rulers of the state and BMC, then, the Mayor and commissioner should be sacked immediately. "The city is become a place for state government and BMC-sponsored accidents. It's the result of corruption by BJP and Sena leaders and their callous administration. There is no value for human life," he said.

'Want a white paper on bridges'
Addressing media persons in Mumbai, Pawar demanded a white paper on all bridges in the city. He said the ill-fated bridge was audited for its structural status. "Why did the BMC and state government not act when the Railways, too, had cautioned them about the precarious condition of the bridge?" asked Pawar, adding that the Union government should divert the money earmarked for the bullet train to upgrade Mumbai's suburban and other rail infrastructure.

Why, asks Nirupam!

• Why has no action been taken against the BMC commissioner till now?
• Why haven't the audit reports of the foot overbridges of Mumbai been made public?
• Why is the BMC dragging its feet over enquiries of similar incidents in the past?
• Why can't we have one nodal agency that co-ordinates the efforts of the state government, railways and BMC so that innocent lives are saved?

Catch up on all the latest Mumbai news, crime news, current affairs, and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here. Also download the new mid-day Android and iOS apps to get latest updates