Mumbai: Deepak Kesarkar initiates weekly citizen interaction at BMC

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Starting Wednesday, Shiv Sena MLA Deepak Kesarkar commenced meeting with citizens at the BMC headquarters in Mumbai, following in the footsteps of BJP MLA Mangalprabhat Lodha. Mumbai Congress President Varsha Gaikwad strongly opposed this move. Gaikwad had previously written to the BMC commissioner requesting space for Congress ex-corporators, where Lodha's office is situated.

Lodha, the guardian minister, began holding public meetings in the BMC and established his office there in July 2023.

Now, Kesarkar, another guardian minister of Mumbai, has started addressing citizen concerns at the BMC. Kesarkar will be available for the citizens, every Wednesday from 1 pm to 4 pm to listen to their grievances. A source close to Kesarkar stated, ‘An office has been provided by the BMC.'

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On the first day, Kesarkar arrived at 3.30 pm, and the meeting lasted for 40 minutes.

Meanwhile, Varsha Gaikwad expressed her discontent on ‘X' platform on Wednesday, labeling it as 'Kabja' Raj 2.0. Posting about it on 'X', she wrote in Marathi, "When Lodha usurped the hall at the municipal headquarters, we had said that Kesarkar would do the same. By breaking rules, laws, customs, traditions and trampling the people's opposition, the rulers have 'captured' the Mumbai Municipal Corporation. They don't want democracy, they don't want elections, they want to run only dictatorship, they want 'occupation' rule. They have nothing to do with public interest, people's problems, rising inflation, unemployment.. They only have an eye on the municipal corporation. Protest…"

MLA Deepak Kesarkar told mid-day that no specific space has been allotted to corporators, and there are currently no corporators in the BMC. Whether the corporation is functional or not, as a guardian minister of the city, Kesarkar can visit the BMC at any time. He clarified that his intent is not to interfere with the BMC's work but to resolve issues faced by the general public.

In a letter addressed to the BMC commissioner on September 27, Gaikwad urged the BMC to cease their duplicity. She pointed out that the Mumbai Region Congress Committee (MRCC) has arranged a designated office for Congress corporators, given the unavailability of space for them at the BMC headquarters. Interestingly, despite the term of elected corporators ending, BJP corporators continue to occupy the hall allocated to Lodha.