Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday accused Eknath Shinde’s ‘Mahayuti’ government of attempting to take credit for incomplete projects in Mumbai ahead of the Lok Sabha election.
The Worli MLA blasted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to inaugurate the incomplete Mumbai Coastal Road project on February 19. He said barely 10 km had been completed.
The coastal road connecting the Bandra-Worli Sea Link to Marine Drive is a Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) project. PM Modi will inaugurate a partial stretch – from Bindumadhav Thackeray Chowk in Worli to Marine Drive – on February 19.
Grabbing credit
“Barely 10 km of the project has been completed, but the PM is set to inaugurate it. Is this an attempt to take the credit due to us, since we [erstwhile Maha Bikas Aghadi government led by Uddhav Thackeray] envisaged the project and followed up on it?” said Mr. Aaditya Thackeray, the eldest son of former CM Uddhav Thackeray.
He accused BMC commissioner I.S. Chahal of providing wrong information about the status of the project, alleging that Mr. Chahal probably wanted a high post in the Delhi bureaucracy.
“The Coastal Road project should have been completed in December, but work is moving at snail’s pace. It appears the BMC commissioner I.S. Chahal wants to become chief secretary or is seeking a top post in Delhi, so he is putting out wrong information on the project,” alleged Mr. Thackeray.
In a post on X, he said, “The Coastal Road was first formally proposed by Uddhav Thackeray ji in July 2013, after which we started pursuing the Centre and State govts for permission. We started work in 2017-18. When our Govt was toppled by a bunch of cowards in 2022, we had crossed 65%. We held weekly reviews and monthly visits, unlike the current regime.”
Mr. Thackeray said he would oppose any plan to utilise BMC funds to build an underground parking facility at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse, where the civic body wants to build a park.
“I will oppose use of BMC funds. Racecourse members are wealthy, they can fund the parking facility. A parking lot is anyway coming up as part of the coastal road, so why is a second one needed?” he asked.
