Congress leader Janardan Chandurkar recently criticised Environment Minister Aaditya Thackeray for sanctioning an amount of whopping Rs 3,693 crores from the District Planning and Development Committee(DPDC) funds for the beautification of bungalows of 43 Shiv Sena corporators, a report published in Navbharat Times said.
Taking strong objection over Thackeray’s decision, Chandurkar released a video on Facebook in which he criticised Thackeray for the unprecedented decision ahead of the BMC elections. Chandurkar has raised a question on the timing of the decision, criticising Aaditya Thackeray for helping Shiv Sena corporators before the upcoming Municipal elections.
Earlier in the month, Environment and Tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray cleared Rs 3,693 crores to renovate bungalows of Shiv Sena corporators at the BMC. The allocation was sanctioned ahead of the forthcoming Municipal elections in Mumbai.
Criticising Aaditya Thackeray’s decision, Chandurkar said, “The state’s environment and Mumbai suburban district guardian minister Aaditya Thackeray has given Rs 3,693 crore from the DPDC fund to 43 Shiv Sena corporators in the city for beautification purposes. This order has been approved by the District Collector of Mumbai and has gone to MHADA for further action. I am glad that money came to Mumbai. However, in view of the forthcoming municipal elections, this is the first time in the history of DPDC that such beautification work has been sanctioned in the constituency of 43 corporators.”
Chandurkar further asked all the political parties to take note of the development and urged Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari to intervene in the matter, citing that according to fiscal discipline, a provision is to be made in the budget for DPDC funds. He said in absence of such a provision, from where the fund of Rs 3,693 crores will be procured.
“The principle of equal justice to all is anathema to Shiv Sena. This is an unconstitutional matter and all administrative officials should pay attention to this violation. I also request, if these orders are illegal, then as per the Supreme Court directives, they should not be implemented,” Chandurkar said.
Shiv Sena’s mayor grants zero allocation to BJP’s 83 councillors
For some time now, the exchequer funds have been treated as personal purse by Shiv Sena, granting generous amounts to their party corporators and leaders while depriving corporators of other political parties with meagre to none allocation. Recently, despite having 83 councillors in the BMC, the BJP received not a single paisa from the Mayor’s Rs 190 crores fund while the 97 Shiv Sena councillors were granted Rs 163 crores.
Congress, with 29 corporators, bagged Rs 9 crores and the NCP got Rs 11 crores for its 8 corporators. Even Samajwadi Party, which has six corporators, managed to get Rs 4.75 crores from the Mayor’s fund. Corporators from other parties and independents got Rs 2.25 crores.
Earlier, the BJP was snubbed with a paltry allocation from the BMC standing committee’s kitty. BJP had then got Rs 140 crores from the Rs 650 crore fund passed by the civic standing committee. Sena had then received a staggering Rs 340 crores.
