DP panel delayed as Sena undecided over ally BJP

MUMBAI: Thanks to the ongoing political tussle between the ruling allies, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to constitute a panel to look into

MUMBAI: Thanks to the ongoing political tussle between the ruling allies, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is yet to constitute a panel to look into the suggestions and objections raised by Mumbaikars pertaining to the city’s development plan (DP).

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More than two weeks after DP 2034 was sealed, Shiv Sena appears to be taking its sweet time over naming the final member of the to-be formed planning committee. With chances of Sena forming the committee without including a single Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) corpoartor, the spat between the allies will once again come to the fore.

The seven-member committee is expected to hear objections filed from citizens on the plan soon. While the state government has already appointed three experts, the civic body is yet to name the three political leaders from the standing committee. Sena, which shares the BMC with BJP, wants two of its party leaders to be a part of the committee as the BJP-ruled state government is supposed to have four representatives.

Yashodhar Phanse, standing committee chairperson and senior Sena leader said, “We want two Sena leaders to be part of the committee, as the experts are already being appointed by the state. We are now considering whether to appoint a member from the BJP or the Congress.”

He added that the names will be announced during the next general body meeting.

A senior BJP leader, requesting anonymity, said Sena is buying time as it is in a quandary over choosing a name from the two parties — BJP or Congress. The Opposition parties in the BMC have also demanded representation in the committee.

Once formed, the planning committee will have two months to prepare a report after hearing all suggestion and objections, following which a report will be tabled before the BMC’s general body — comprising 227 corporators. The general body will get another two months to approve the report. Once sanctioned, the proposal will be forwarded to the state for a final approval.

DP 2034 was to be released in 2014 as a 20-year plan for the city. However, it got delayed several times. Finally, a revised draft was released in May 2016, with a two-month window for citizens to submit their suggestions and objections. So far, the state has appointed its three members: Gautam Chatterjee, a retired state additional chief secretary, Sudhir Ghate, a retired civic chief engineer and Suresh V Surve, a retired deputy director of town planning, who will be part of the seven-member committee.