FPJ Impact: News article triggers public ire against happy-to-splurge netas

Bhayandar: The news article ‘Cash strapped MBMC plans exotic junket to Coorg’, which was published in The Free Press Journal in its Wednesday (April 3) edition has not only invited wrath from the local populace, but has also prompted some corporators to stay away from the wasteful spending spree.

The FPJ had exposed the insensitivity of the BJP-ruled Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation which planned to splurge Rs 45 lakh by embarking on an exotic junket to a hill station in Karnataka under the guise of a study tour, this by ignoring the fact that the stock of vaccines for dog bite victims has exhausted and spraying work to battle mosquito menace has been discontinued due to insufficient funds.

After FPJ’s report, the junket became an issue of public discussion as angry reactions started pouring in on social media platforms. While the Congress leadership wisely announced its decision to boycott the junket, some of the Sena members including Kusum Gupta and Dipti Bhatt, Neelam Dhawan, Dhanesh Patil have dashed off letters to the civic chief opposing the tour.

“At a stage when citizens have been saddled with a steep hike in taxes, such junkets cannot be justified. It will be wise to utilise funds in a meaningful way,” said Dhawan.

Wondering what corporators would study at a hill station, MNS chief Prasad Surve said, “Our cadres will visit wards of participating corporators and enact a street play named ‘Kidhar Ghoom Raha Hai Aapka’. Despite becoming an object of ridicule, the MBMC has mysteriously chose to remained mute spectators to the profligacy, apparently under the pressure of the ruling party.