Civic polls on his mind, Aaditya Thackeray recycles old promises

Aaditya Thackeray with officials, including civic chief Iqbal Singh Chahal, Suresh Kakani, P Velarasu and Sanjeev Jaiswal at BMC office

With less than a year left for the next civic election, the Shiv Sena has come up with old promises for a better version of the city. Aaditya Thackeray, environment minister and guardian minister of Mumbai suburbs, visited the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) with transport minister Anil Parab on Thursday and discussed most issues faced by the city with the officials and solutions for them. The issues discussed include garbage, pollution, drinking water, waterlogging and footpaths.

While speaking to the media, Thackeray promised support for the BEST. He said, "The BEST buses offered 24X7 service in the lockdown and we discussed what can be done to support it in the BMC budget.

The tenders for integrated transport hubs at entry points like Dahisar, Mulund, Vashi and Nhava-Sheva will be floated till the end of this month. Even the long-pending issue of common ticketing system has been discussed." Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal along with additional commissioners Suresh Kakani, P Velarasu and Sanjeev Jaiswal were present for the meeting.

Velarasu did a presentation on a solution for waterlogging at 386 flooding spots identified in 2019 and 2020. "A long-term plan to turn Mumbai into a sponge city, with aquifer recharge, rainwater percolation and holding tanks for which a consultant is being appointed soon, is on.

This will address the city's needs with climate change issues for the next 20 years," said Thackeray. A sponge city can absorb and use rain water. He added that they are also coordinating with agencies like MMRDA, Metro 3, etc. for solutions on waterlogging. Among the promises made to better the city were clean playgrounds, beaches and garbage management under a project called 'Mazi Vasundhara."