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Maharashtra

This year, BMC promises good health, infra, ecology, ease and quality of life for Mumbai

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Thursday unveiled a whopping Rs 45,949.21 crore budget 2022-2023, up by 18 per cent over the previous year’s

Rs 39,039.83 crore with a tiny surplus of Rs 8.43 crore.

With the upcoming BMC elections, this year, the country’s biggest and richest civic body will have a massive focus on health, infrastructure, ecology, flood control, besides improving the ‘ease’ and ‘quality’ of life for the 1.75-crore Mumbaikars living in the country’s commercial and glamour capital.

Some highlights are constructing and redevelopment of major hospitals, rejuvenation of the Mithi river, electric vehicle charging centres, IGCSE and IB schools in the Mumbai civic education bouquet, and appointing Urban Space Designers to improve the civic landscape.

Presenting the budget at the Standing Committee meeting, Municipal Commissioner I. S. Chahal said that the estimated revenues this year would be Rs 30,743.61 crore, which is higher by Rs 2,832.04 crore over the previous year’s estimates, and the actual income received till January 2022 was Rs 30,851.18 crore.

On the crucial health front – as the city was the worst-hit in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic of the past two years – the BMC will spend Rs 6933.75 crore – or 15.09 per cent of the total budget – to augment and improve various health-care facilities.

This would include: 200 HinduHridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Health Centres under the ‘Health care at your neighbourhood’ scheme, setting up 200 Shiv Yoga Centres, standardising and modernising civic dispensaries, constructing a new Centenary Hospital in Govandi, a medical college building at Cooper Hospital, redevelopment of two major medical facilities – Bhagwati Hospital in Borivali, Sion Hospital, plus Sidharth/Murli Deora Eye Hospitals, a new Cancer Hospital for Proton Therapy at the KEM Hospital premises, expanding the MT Agarwal Hospital and Bhabha Hospital, extending the Nair Dental College, etc.

Eyeing the civic polls, the BMC will stress on major flood-control measures with an outlay of Rs 1,539.79 crore, for the revival of the 18-kms long Mithi River and its other branches in the suburbs at Dahisar, Poisar, Oshiwara and their major drainage nullahs, plus 386 chronic flood spots that result in submerging many parts of the city during the monsoons.

Chahal said that 95 per cent of the widening and deepening work, 80 per cent of retaining wall construction of Mithi River are completed which has doubled the holding capacity and carrying capacity by 3 times, while the plan for development and pollution control is ready and shall be implemented in four packages.

The BMC has strengthened the capacity to pump out floodwaters in different parts of the city, improved its Storm Water Drain network based on the BRIMSTOWAD Master Plan Report of 1993, and of 58 priority works, 42 have been completed, 13 are in progress and 3 have yet to be taken up.

On the infrastructure front, the BMC will spend Rs 3200 crore for the ambitious Coastal Road Project, visualised by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Rs 1300 crore for the Goregaon-Mulund Link Road with 2 flyovers, and Rs 1340 crore for a Sewerage Treatment Project.

For the ‘eco-friendly’ image of Mumbai known as a ‘concrete jungle,’ a significant 219 kms of roads in the city will be improved during the year, electronic vehicle (EV) charging stations in all the 30 major public parking lots, EVs shall be deployed for garbage collection-segregation, Rs 1 crore specifically for ‘electric and electronic waste’ recovery centre in each BMC Ward, more electric crematoria and eco-friendly funeral pyres.

On January 14, the BMC became only the 3rd civic body in the world after Dubai and Singapore to offer 80 public services via a ChatBot, and this year it will become ‘smarter’ by permitting ‘digital advertisements’ to boost revenue, promote digital forms of collecting Property Tax and Water Tax bills, and also other payments.

Stressing on education with a budget of Rs 3370.24 crore – 14.45 per cent higher than last year’s Rs 2945.78 crore – the BMC plans to provide 19,401 SSC students with tabs with latest syllabus, an improvement academic tool in the days of online education, digitalise 1,300 classrooms, and a pilot project of E-Libraries in 50 primary schools.

Already offering the Maharashtra Board, CBSE and ICSE boards in civic schools, this year the BMC will introduce Cambridge University-affiliated IGCSE and one International Baccalaureate (IB) for the derided amunicipality students’.

To ‘ease’ the life of citizens, the BMC will empanel Urban Space Designers to study and rework on roads, pavements, and community spaces to enhance the ‘Ease of Walking’, instal more streetlights for security of women and children and seniors under the ‘Ease of Safety’, new bridges/cement-concrete roads for ‘Ease of Commute’, besides its other ‘easing’ policies like ‘Ease of Doing Business’, ‘Ease of Compliance’, ‘East of Monitoring’ and ‘Ease of Service Delivery’, etc.

In a New Year bonanza announced by the CM, the BMC will exempt Property Tax from 16,14,000 people owning a residential property of 500-sq.feet carpet area which will lead to a drop of Rs 462 crore in the annual revenues.

The Congress Group Leader in BMC Ravi Raja and Bharatiya Janata Party city MLA Ashish Shelar and other opposition parties slammed the budget as ‘disappointing’ and ‘lacking on various fronts’.

Maharashtra

Mumbai: Ruckus over Aurangzeb’s picture being hoisted during protest at Dadar Chetana Bhoomi, police ordered to investigate, 8 FIRs registered so far

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Mumbai: A ruckus has erupted once again over the hoisting of Aurangzeb’s portrait at the CJP protest demonstration at Dadar Chetana Bhoomi in Mumbai, which has further escalated the situation, while politics has now started under the guise of Aurangzeb, while the police are investigating the matter. Mumbai Police has intensified its action against those protesting in support of the Delhi Jantar Mantar protest in Maharashtra and Mumbai. So far, about 8 FIRs have been registered against the protesters, of which four FIRs have been registered in Shivaji Park, Chetna Bhoomi, along with one FIR in Marine Drive and Azad Maidan. Now, politics has started in Mumbai over the hoisting of a poster of Aurangzeb (may Allah be pleased with him) during the protest. The police have started an investigation in this matter. Aurangzeb’s picture was hoisted during the protest in Dadar Chetna Bhoomi, which was later removed. However, in this matter, the police are investigating who had included this picture in the protest and what was the purpose behind it. The police have started an investigation in the matter of hoisting Aurangzeb’s picture in Mumbai and are formally finding out who was the one who hoisted this picture and what was the purpose behind it. DCP Mahendra Pandit said that in this matter, through social media, The identity of the accused is being ascertained, along with a case registered for illegally blocking the road and protesting without prior permission. In this case, an investigation is also underway as to why Aurangzeb’s picture was brought and what was the purpose behind it, while politics has started after this incident and the paper leak case has become Aurangzeb’s responsibility. The Home Ministry has ordered the Mumbai Police to investigate this matter and the police are conducting an inquiry into this matter. In the FIRs registered by the police so far, 600 accused have been named.

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Maharashtra

Raj Thackeray criticises Centre over CJP protest clashes

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Mumbai, July 21: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray on Tuesday launched a scathing attack on the Central Government over the forcible hospitalisation of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk and the violent lathi-charge on protesting students.

Taking to X, Thackeray condemned the government’s heavy-handed response, remarking, “This government itself has become mentally ill and needs to be admitted to a hospital.”

Expressing displeasure over the action against peaceful demonstrators, the MNS chief said the Central Government forcibly picked up Wangchuk and admitted him to a hospital. He added that the ruthless lathi-charge on protestors showed the government took pride in crushing legitimate protests.

Reiterating his demand for the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, Thackeray questioned the government’s reluctance.

“Who is Dharmendra Pradhan that accepting his resignation feels like a failure to the government? The outrage of the nation’s students is far more important than the ego of Dharmendra Pradhan and the government,” he said. He asked why the Prime Minister, who conducts ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha,’ was not engaging directly with students on the streets.

Criticising the ruling dispensation’s attitude toward grievances and the opposition, Thackeray asserted that the administration had developed an arrogant mindset.

He alleged that the ruling party believed it had won the elections through central agencies and EVMs rather than through public votes.

Drawing parallels with historical and global student movements, Thackeray cited the Arab Spring (2011), the Sri Lankan crisis (2022), anti-government protests in Nepal, and Jayaprakash Narayan’s ‘Sampoorna Kranti’ (Total Revolution) in India, noting that student unrest has historically triggered major political shifts.

“This movement isn’t restricted to just one exam. It is an outburst of public despair against inflation, contract culture, suffocating urban development, and broader governance failures,” he said.

He added that the courage shown by students stemmed from deep despair over the state of affairs in the country, warning that power gained through historic movements would slip away if the government relied on brutality rather than wisdom.

Reaffirming his party’s stance against centralised entrance exams like NEET, Thackeray urged the administration to show wisdom rather than force.

“An incompetent minister must resign, and complete transparency must be brought into examinations. There is no bravery in ruthlessly crushing protests; true wisdom lies in resolving them through dialogue. MNS extends its full support to these students and their demands,” he noted.

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Maharashtra

There is no opposition to peaceful protests, but violence broke out during protests in Delhi, conspiracy to create unrest during protests: Devendra Fadnavis

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Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has made a serious allegation and termed the violence in the peaceful protest of the CJP at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar as a political agenda. He said that behind it, many political parties are trying to gain political benefits, while many sincere people are also involved, but the way violence was unleashed in this protest is completely wrong. Stone pelting on the police and breaking vehicles is absolutely not right. Fadnavis has also supported the action of the Delhi Police and said that the police have shown patience and restraint. Regarding the protest, Devendra Fadnavis has made it clear that everyone has the right to protest in the Constitution and democracy, but no one has the right to disrupt the situation by protesting without permission. If someone protests without permission or creates violence and tension, action will be taken against him. He said that some elements have also joined the JCP protest who have nothing to do with the protest, they are only involved in their own benefit and a conspiracy to create unrest in the country. Devendra Fadnavis has said that action is taken against protest demonstrations only when they are ready for violence or are part of a conspiracy. He said that no action is taken against those who protest with permission, while everyone has the right to protest and no one can be deprived of it. Fadnavis said that in the backdrop of the JCP protest, an attempt is being made to spoil the situation, which is intolerable. He added that everyone has seen what happened in Delhi and how violence was unleashed here. Along with this, the police have also taken action against the protest demonstrations in Maharashtra and Mumbai, while Fadnavis has also supported the police action against the protesters.

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