Mumbai: BMC tightens scrutiny on Aaditya Thackeray’s pet project

The Shivaji Park on July 13. Work on the project started last year. Pic/Ashish Raje

As the Eknath Shinde government slams the brakes on certain decisions of the Uddhav Thackeray government, the beautification of Shivaji Park, a pet project of former minister Aaditya Thackeray, will now face tighter scrutiny from the BMC. The civic body said it will form a core committee to review the project, which has been opposed by the residents living around the public ground.

The BMC started work on the Rs 4.2-crore project at Dadar last year. When Shivaji Park got flooded in the recent rain, the locals attributed it to the beautification work that involves the construction of a mud track and wells to store rainwater.

Former minister Aaditya Thackeray

Shivaji Park locals met officials from G North ward on Tuesday. "It was decided to form a committee for a technical study of the project," said Prashant Sakpale, assistant commissioner of the ward.

"This committee will include BMC officials, residents, and experts. If the experts make any recommendations regarding the project, they will be implemented," he said.

The residents said that a lot of soil had been put on the ground and that it caused a lot of problems during the recent spells of rain.

Shivaji Park resident Prashant Belwade, who was a part of the meeting, said, "We are against this so-called beautification project from the beginning as this is a waste of money. The soil that was put on the ground was washed away due to the rain and the water could not drain. That resulted in waterlogging in the area."

"The BMC has dug 36 wells to collect rainwater. But since they got filled with mud, the rainwater could not be collected. It means the money spent on the wells got wasted. We have also demanded to remove the excess soil from the ground," said a local.