Navi Mumbai: Potholes of playing politics?

Despite the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) clearing proposals for road repair works in the city, some parts are still awaiting repairs. The tendering procedure for these repairs was completed long time ago.

Sources say, “Road repair works are being held up deliberately as the NCP wants to start the work once the elections are announced. This way the party will be able to derive political mileage out of the issue. Otherwise, what is the reason behind holding up the works, when the proposals were cleared long time back.”

The source added, “Roads in Vashi’s sector 16, Sanpada sector 13, and those in Seawoods are in bad shape. With the monsoons gone, the works should have ideally been completed by now.”

Vikram Shinde, corporator from Vashi, said, “Road works have started in sector 16, and levelling and scratching works are on. The work was delayed as MGL had to lay its pipelines. Now that all works like sewerage, water and gas pipelines is done, the road work has started.”

Meanwhile, a resident from sector 16 has a divergent view. “While it is true that work has started on the roads, it is going on at an extremely slow pace. Scratching work has been stopped since the last 10 days, and there has been no progress. We continue to put up with bad roads,” he said.

Navi Mumbai district Congress president, Dashrath Bhagat, blamed the poor condition of roads on systemic corruption and NCP’s policy of neglecting wards of opposition corporators. “Everyone knows that systemic corruption is a deep-rooted problem here. Unless a contractor pays a certain amount, work orders are not released. Also, the NCP has adopted a policy of not carrying out works in wards of corporators belonging to opposition parties.”

Bhagat said, “Some NCP corporators who show their displeasure are silenced by stopping development works in their wards. This impacts work in the satellite city.”

Former Congress corporator Avinash Lad, whose wife, Pranali, represents ward no 46 in Vashi, said, “I have been making multiple representations, but still no works have been started in the area.”