Three Sena, BJP corporators named for DP planning committee

After a two-month delay, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) general body on Friday nominated two Shiv Sena corporators and a BJP

After a two-month delay, Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) general body on Friday nominated two Shiv Sena corporators and a BJP corporator for the Development Plan (DP) 2034 planning committee. Sena’s Yashodhar Phanse, Trushna Vishwasrao and BJP’s Manoj Kotak were appointed. The Congress party, however, walked out of the meeting calling it an undemocratic decision.

The BMC planning committee is crucial as it will conduct hearings for the 12,000 suggestions and objections filed by citizens on the city’s 20-year blueprint. (Hindustan Times)

The planning committee is crucial as it will conduct hearings for the 12,000 suggestions and objections filed by citizens on the city’s 20-year blueprint. The plan was released in May 2016 with a 60-day window for citizens to submit their objections and suggestions. The committee should ideally have been formed in August.

The Congress said it will move the court to stop the committee’s functioning. Pravin Chheda, Oppostion leader and Congress corporator, said, “If the standing committee chairman (Phanse) and the leader of the house (Vishwasrao) have been nominated, then the third statutory position is that of the Opposition leader. How can a committee not consist of a member from the Oppostion? This is unconstitutional.”

He further said, “We had objected to several controversial policies in the plan, which will now be passed easily by this committee.”

Sources from the Sena said that the party was keen on nominating a member from the Opposition. “But there was too much pressure from the state to name a BJP corporator,” the source said.

With its constant tussle with ally BJP in the state legislature and the BMC, the Sena had even deferred the decision to name members, demanding that all group leaders be a part of the committee. It was later turned down by the administration as it would require an amendment in the Maharashtra Regional Town Planning (MRTP) Act.

As per the Act, the committee should consist of three standing panel members and four experts appointed by the state. The state government had named three experts on August 12.

Senior officials from the DP department said that the committee has time till November 26, after which a report has to be submitted to the general body. Sena leader Vishwasrao said, “We will start the work soon as we do not have much time for the hearing now.”