From 24x7 water to pothole-free roads: Mumbai’s unkept 2017 poll promises
Hindustan Times revisited some of the key promises made by the Shiv Sena and BJP to understand where Mumbai stands today
Mumbai: As Mumbai gears up for long-delayed civic elections after an eight-year gap, activists and resident associations have said that key promises made ahead of the 2017 polls, such as pothole-free roads, 24/7 water supply, and improved tree cover, have failed to materialise.
The undivided Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) coalition won the 2017 Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections and jointly governed India’s richest civic body until 2022, when an administrator took charge. The Shiv Sena emerged as the single largest party with 84 corporators and held the mayor’s post, while the BJP had 82 corporators.
Eight years later, civic activist Dolphy D’Souza said that election manifestos are akin to marketing gimmicks by political parties. “There is a huge gap between promises made in the manifestoes and their implementation. There is also the issue of how seriously political parties take their own manifestos and what groundwork is done before drafting the document by parties,” she said.
Hindustan Times revisited some of the key promises made by the Shiv Sena and BJP to understand where Mumbai stands today.
Water
In their 2017 manifestos, both parties promised a 24/7 water supply, no hike in water charges, and exemption from water taxes for consumption below 750 litres per day. However, Mumbai continues to have a water deficit of around 600-800 million litres per day (MLD). The promised 440 MLD additional water supply from the Gargai dam project is yet to materialise, with the project still at the tendering stage.
Both parties also promised property tax concessions for housing societies that observe rainwater harvesting, which has been fulfilled. However, the BJP’s promise of a desalination plant remains at the tendering stage.
“Not a single programme has been initiated to give 24x7 water supply,” said Sitaram Shelar, convenor of Pani Haq Samiti, an NGO fighting for universal access to water. “Though a rainwater harvesting system exists, it remains mainly on paper as there is no monitoring or evaluation of its functioning. Instead of emphasising on recycling of water, which is not available in any party manifestos, their emphasis is on building dams, which is an environmentally unfriendly and revenue-generating exercise.”
Roads
Both the Shiv Sena and the BJP promised pothole-free roads, which is far from reality in Mumbai today. In fact, the BJP went one step ahead and had promised that road tax wouldn’t be levied till the roads were free of potholes, which has not been done.
The promised Mumbai Coastal Road, projected to reduce travel time between Nariman Point and Dahisar to 20 minutes, is operational only up to Worli. The Sena also promised to expedite the 12-kilometre Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR) project. However, only the first of four phases—a flyover from Dindoshi to the Sanjay Gandhi National Park (SGNP)—is expected to open by May 2026.
The promise to eliminate potholes by cementing or asphalting all city roads also remains incomplete. Mumbai’s road concretisation project, which targets about 700 km across more than 2,100 roads, is approximately halfway through.
“The condition of roads is far worse today than it was in the past,” said Trivankumar Karnani, founder of Mumbai North Central District Forum. “Air quality and the overall pollution is worse. The city’s infrastructure is crumbling. A mere coastal road or Atal Setu does not define the city’s infrastructure. They camouflage the poor condition of roads in the city. Our suburbs lack basic cleanliness and encroachment-free footpaths.”
Environment
Although both parties promised to protect and develop open spaces, citizens are yet to see such spaces being available in large numbers.
The BJP had promised to protect 12,859 hectares of natural land as eco-sensitive zones where construction and encroachments would be prohibited. However, citizens continue to file petitions in court seeking protection for eco-sensitive zones such as the one around the Sanjay Gandhi National Park.
The Shiv Sena’s promise to develop Mumbai’s eastern waterfront as a tourism hub has not materialised. The party had also pledged large-scale afforestation to improve air quality. However, the city’s air quality and dwindling tree cover remain a concern.
“Whoever comes to power, the destructive spree continues across the city,” said environmental activist Zoru Bhathena, known particularly for his fight to save trees and open spaces in Mumbai. “The quality of air, water, tree cover, open spaces and life in general is deteriorating. And it’s for us citizens to step up and fight to protect and save our city because they are not going to do it for us.”
Other promises
Several other promises remain unfulfilled, including ward-level crèches for working parents and free access to municipal swimming pools. A proposed international-standard sports complex at Govandi is also yet to see the light of day.
Some of the promises that have been kept include the beautification of beaches, which have undergone vast improvements since 2017. The Shiv Sena also fulfilled its promise of property tax exemption for homes measuring up to 500 sq ft.
“As an urban citizen, all the basic necessities of a common man have been compromised due to unplanned and ill-conceived development,” said Abhay Azad, an environmentalist. “The mindless onslaught has not saved green spaces and our parks. It’s sad to note how the city is devoid of basic recreation zones. There needs to be an overhaul of policies. We need people-centric reforms to redefine living sensitivity.”
Political responses
Vinod Mishra, a BJP corporator from 2019 to 2022, said the party is on track to fulfil most of its manifesto promises. He mentioned the completion of phase 1 of the Coastal Road, ongoing work in phase 2, and tendering work underway in phase 3.
“Regarding our promise of making Mumbai pothole-free, we have almost completed 50% concretisation of the city’s roads and hope to make cemented roads pothole-free by 2027,” said Mishra. “We have also set up 329 health dispensaries to make health accessible for all. Tenders are also in the final stage for the desalination project. Metro works are also almost over.”
Mishra added that work has begun on setting up ₹26 crore worth of sewage treatment plants in the city, which is expected to be completed by 2027-28. The dabbawallah bhavan, which the Shiv Sena had promised, was also fulfilled by the BJP, he said.
Former mayor and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Kishori Pednekar said her party had fulfilled 70-80% of its manifesto promises despite losing nearly three years to the Covid-19 pandemic. “People cannot forget that we had expended our energy in handling the health pandemic in such an exemplary way that it received global recognition. Had Covid not intervened, when practically regular work could not be undertaken, we would have probably fulfilled all our manifesto promises,” she said.
Pednekar added that the implementation of a 24x7 water supply project has started in Mulund, but admitted that cement concretisation of road works has been delayed due to a delay in getting permissions for lining up underground utilities.
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