Mumbai: Civic activists have demanded that the chief minister appoint a special task force for the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation to immediately address the civic infrastructure collapse in Mumbai. The activists have alleged that the task force is necessary to bring an end to the systematic corruption prevailing in the civic body.

Members of the Watchdog Foundation have written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urging him to appoint a special task force to bring an end to the systematic corruption in the BMC. They have alleged that the corruption prevailing in the civic body is the reason for the infrastructural collapse in Mumbai.

The letter written on Tuesday alleged that the municipal commissioner and his team have consistently failed to provide basic civic amenities across multiple fronts. It alleged that the ongoing road concretisation works are being carried out in a haphazard and uncoordinated manner. Numerous roads have been dug up and left incomplete, causing severe air pollution, traffic congestion, and posing a grave risk to pedestrians, the letter alleged.

The activists raised concerns regarding multiple road work contracts being awarded to a few contractors. They also alleged that BMC has failed to mandate the creation of underground ducts for utilities, which leads to repeated road digging. It also pressed on the issues of encroachments of roads and footpaths, illegal parking, and repeated repairs of footpaths, resulting in waste of taxpayers’ money.

“It may be recalled that in the year 2001, the Maharashtra Government had taken the unprecedented decision to dissolve BMC following the recommendations of an expert committee constituted to probe into the widespread corruption prevalent in the civic body. Unfortunately, despite the passage of over two decades, the situation within the BMC has only deteriorated further,” read the letter.

The letter also alleged a scam in the desilting of riverbeds and nullahs, including the Mithi river, and expressed disappointment, saying that the situation remains pathetic even after hundreds of crores being allocated annually for the projects. The letter also added concerns like the proliferation of slums, rampant tree cutting, and harassment of law-abiding citizens.

“The citizens of Mumbai are losing faith in the system, and urgent corrective action is the need of the hour. We urge you to institute a high-level inquiry into the functioning of BMC and transfer all senior officials, if necessary, to cleanse it of its deeply entrenched corruption. Implement systemic reforms to ensure transparency, accountability, and efficient civic governance in Mumbai,” said Godfrey Pimenta, trustee of Watchdog Foundation.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced a financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh each to the heirs of those who died in the Pahalgam terror attack in a cabinet meeting. He took this decision while paying tribute to the deceased in a cabinet meeting here. 6 Maharashtrians who also died in the Pahalgam terror attack will be given a financial assistance of Rs 20 lakh. Along with financial assistance, the government will also focus on education and family employment. The decision to give a job to the daughter of the Jagdale family was taken yesterday, but now using the special authority of the Chief Minister, she is being provided a government job immediately.

Three cousins ​​from Dombivali, Sanjay Leela, Atal Mane and Hemant Joshi, had gone to Kashmir for tourism. Similarly, Santosh Jagdale and Kastub Gunboot from Pune, two childhood friends, were also shot dead by terrorists. Dilip Dhosale from Navi Mumbai also died. Armed terrorists had opened fire while shouting religious slogans during the attack in Kashmir, killing 26 people, including 25 Indians and one Nepali citizen. All of them had come here for tourism. The Maharashtra government had announced financial assistance to the heirs of those killed in the Pahalgam attack.

Mumbai: Maharashtra Samajwadi Party leader and MLA has appealed to Muslims to hold a Batti Gul protest against the Waqf Act and has said that the All India Muslim Personal Labor Board has requested that as a protest, they should keep the lights of their homes, houses, mosques and other places off while participating in the Batti Gul protest. This protest should be held by keeping the lights off for 9:15 am. Abu Asim Azmi said that the government has brought this act to illegally occupy Waqf properties. There is anger and resentment among Muslims against this act. Muslims should register their protest against this act of the government on 30th April.