Shinde inaugurates beautification works

Chief minister Eknath Shinde and deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday inaugurated the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) ‘Mumbai beautification project’ at Gateway of India.

“Today, we plan to begin nearly 500 works worth ₹2,000 crore. These include traffic island beautification, painting murals on walls, lighting of beaches and gardens, and beautification of forts,” civic chief I S Chahal said, adding 10,000 toilets would be constructed in slum areas.

He also said every parliamentary constituency would have a shopping mall where women self-help groups could showcase their products.

Shinde said several works which should have been executed earlier did not happen. “Mumbai is financially very strong. Every year it takes 50 km roads for concretisation but this year I told the officials to make it 500 km so that the pothole problem could be resolved.”

Fadnavis said the concretisation work might inconvenience Mumbaikars for a brief period but for the next 30 years there would be no potholes on them. “The practice of appointing the same contractor, getting the same road laid again, and spending public money needs to be stopped.”

Bandra MLA Ashish Shelar said the Shinde-Fadnavis government had freed the BMC from ‘parivarwad’.

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