Free COVID vaccine through municipal health centres, modernising storm water drains with ₹10,000 crore, special development package for Old City, free travel for women in Metro rail and city buses, scrapping of Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS), no property tax for slums and SC colonies, one lakh free houses for the poor, wi-fi and free tabs for children of government schools, were among the promises made in the TS BJP manifesto for GHMC polls.
Bharatiya Janata Party’s GHMC election manifesto 2020. | Photo Credit: Nagara Gopal
“We have taken up issues close to people and reflecting their aspirations. It will be implemented with the help of funds from the Centre. We want to give the city back to the people from the clutches of TRS and MIM, which have divided the city among themselves, as if is their personal property, for their personal gain,” said former Maharastra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis after launching the manifesto in the presence of Union Minister of State for Home G. Kishan Reddy, National OBC president K. Laxman, TS BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar and others on Thursday.
“There will be no need to go to private hospitals for the vaccine, when it is launched, as we have decided to give it free in the municipal health centres along with testing for coronavirus. Such health centres will be increased further considering the difficulties people had faced in getting treatment for COVID-19 with inadequate public healthcare facilities and corporate hospitals charging exorbitant fees,” he said. “The LRS is a ₹15,000 crore scam, so it will be removed and those building houses with 125 sq. yards will be exempt from paying any fees,” he added.
Mr. Fadnavis stated that 25% of the city was under water during the recent floods mainly because of the encroachments obstructing the water flow in storm water drains and water bodies, hence these will be removed and affected people will be relocated and ₹25,000 each for the affected families will be directly deposited into the bank accounts concerned. One lakh houses will be built for the poor under the Prime Minister Awas Yojana (PMAY), free water connections and supply to the households and Musi rejuvenation work, including development of river front, will be taken up with a ₹10,000 crore fund.
Mr. Sanjay Kumar and Mr. Laxman said that private school fees will be regulated and under the proposed ‘Sumedha Act’, in the memory of the 12-year-old girl who got washed away in an open drain in Malkagiri earlier this year, encroachments will be removed on water bodies. “Unlike TRS, which has repeated its manifesto, we will implement every single scheme. So, give our party a chance,” they appealed. Manifesto committee chairman G. Vivek Venkatswamy claimed close to 10 lakh citizens gave their feedback through the mobile app and the draft manifesto was vetted by experts from various fields and senior leaders.