Sena begins image repair work

After a dismal performance in the Assembly polls, the Shiv Sena is adopting new techniques to win back the confidence of voters. Amrita U Kadam reports.

After a dismal performance in the Assembly polls, the Shiv Sena is adopting new techniques to win back the confidence of voters.

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With BMC elections just about two years away, the Sena is now capitalizing on the issue of water scarcity. On Thursday, the Sena led civic body stepped out of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation headquarters and reached out to the people by holding a meeting where citizens shared their grievances on water shortage. Due to scanty rainfall this year the city is facing water cuts of 15 percent.

Hoping that their individual problems would be addressed, about 300 citizens of western suburb attended the meeting that was held at the K East (Andheri East) ward office.

Resident and ex-corporator Nicholas Almeida said, “I have a tap connection since 1992 but it is of no use as the water pressure is not enough. If a ex-corporator is helpless, think about the common man.”

The meeting appeared more like a show of power to the common man where the Sena and BJP both tried to take away the credit to lend their ears to the common man.

Well aware of the media presence, standing committee chairman, Ravindra Waikar who is now an MLA from Jogeshwari, came down heavily on the water department officials and asked for quick redressal to the problems.

However, by the end of the three hour-long session, the civic body received had about 57 applications.

Additional Municipal Commissioner (AMC), Anil Diggikar said, “If we have such meetings at the Deputy Municipal Commissioner level every month we will be able to address the local issues.” Stressing that the city was short of water content by 30 per cent, there was a need to look at the other options such as rainwater harvesting, repairs of bore wells and setting up of filtration plant at the wells.

Waikar also pointed at the possibility of diverting the water from the Koyna dam to meet the city’s demand.