BJP leaders on Thursday alleged that the Brihanmumai Municipal Corporation’s budget ignored poor and middle-class Mumbaikars and that its emphasis on big-ticket infrastructure development was meant to “promote contractors’ interests and corruption”.(Representational image) BJP leaders on Thursday alleged that the Brihanmumai Municipal Corporation’s budget ignored poor and middle-class Mumbaikars and that its emphasis on big-ticket infrastructure development was meant to “promote contractors’ interests and corruption”.
“The BMC budget is a bogus budget. It is silent on critical issues. The slums, the poor and the toiling masses who are the mainstays of the city have not been featured in the budget,” said BJP MLA Atul Bhatkhalkar. “The budget has emphasized big-ticket projects like the coastal road with the sole purpose of promoting contractors and corruption.”
The BJP also questioned how the ruling Shiv Sena, which was complaining about revenue losses due to the Covid-19 pandemic, was able to increase the corporation budget by 17.7 per cent.
Another party MLA, former minister Ashish Shelar, said, “The last budget was worth Rs 37,000 crore. It has been increased to Rs 45,949 crore. We hope these are real statistics and not inflated.”
In a scathing attack against the Sena, Shelar said it was clear from the budget’s tone and tenor that it was all about “tender and builder”. “They have given a property tax waiver for homes of upto 500 square feet. Why have they not given the same concession to traditional, old properties and koliwadas? There is nothing in the budget for slums, fishermen, rickshaw drivers etc. The lower rung of society, which constitutes a sizeable population, and the service class have been ignored,” he alleged.
The BJP leader also castigated the Sena for not “acknowledging” the efforts of former chief minister Devendra Fadnavis” while taking credit for the metro and coastal road projects.“The entire budget appears like a congratulatory resolution,” he said.
“If one has to sum up this budget, it is ‘water, gutter and tender’. The budget is to safeguard the interests of builders and contractors who have already received a huge premium of Rs11,000 crore from the state government,” Shelar went on.
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