Ajit Pawar asks MMRDA, BMC to take aesthetic cues from Baramati

Pawar also took a swipe at one of MMRDA’s older marquee projects — the network of elevated pedestrian skywalks. “They are in such a bad state that they had to be dismantled. People even refuse to walk on them,” he remarked

MUMBAI: At the inauguration of five key infrastructure projects in Mumbai on Thursday, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar urged the city’s top civic and infrastructure agencies to learn a lesson or two on urban aesthetics from his hometown, Baramati.

Mumbai, India - Aug. 22, 2024: Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar interacts with media during the press conference, after the announcement of "Maha Rashtrvadi" Whatsapp Helpline, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, August 22, 2024. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

Pawar was addressing officials from the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) and the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) while inaugurating the Mumbai Metro Training Institute and the Mumbai Metro One Pvt Ltd staff quarters — both developed by MMRDA — along with a cable-stayed bridge over the Vakola flyover, the D-arm of the Kalanagar flyover linking Dharavi to Bandra, and a 5.25-km promenade of the under-construction Coastal Road. The first four projects have been executed under the chairmanship of deputy CM Eknath Shinde, while the Coastal Road project is being implemented by the MCGM.

Upon arriving at MMRDA’s Bandra Kurla Complex office for the event, Pawar voiced displeasure over the design and visual appeal of the authority’s newly built structures. “On your holiday, visit Baramati and see the beautification and the aesthetics that have been done there — and can be done here,” he told MMRDA commissioner Sanjay Mukherjee and MCGM commissioner Bhushan Gagrani.

Pawar also took a swipe at one of MMRDA’s older marquee projects — the network of elevated pedestrian skywalks. “They are in such a bad state that they had to be dismantled. People even refuse to walk on them,” he remarked.

Shinde, who was present at the event, praised MMRDA’s work and lauded the progress of Mumbai’s Metro network, promising partial commissioning of three lines — Metro 2B, 4, 4A and 9 — by December this year.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis acknowledged Pawar’s criticism and asked MMRDA to explore ways to improve the aesthetics of existing infrastructure.