Sena report card: B-minus, at best

Mumbai: For an alliance that's trying to reclaim the BMC house after a
stormy fiveyear rule, the Shiv Sena-BJP's report card would at best fetch a
'B minus' grade.

    Even at the fag end of the five-year period, the BMC has about 50% of
the funds budgeted for infrastructure work lying unutilised. In fact, but
for the 26/7 delugelast year - which served as a wakeup call for the city's
administrators - the Sena-BJP alliance's performance would have been worse.

    The floods, and later the intervention of the courts in response to a
series of public interest litigations (PILs), was what prodded Sena
politicians to fulfil a few of the promises made in their party's 2002 poll
manifesto.

    To start with, 26/7 helped revive the BRIMSTOWAD plan to upgrade the
city's stormwater drains and helped accelerate the Mumbai III A water supply
project, the Middle Vaitarna water supply project and Mumbai Sewerage
Disposal Project Phase II.

In case of roads, but for the sustained involvement of the higher judiciary,
road-widening and repairing was unlikely to be carried out at a fairly fast
pace.

Even on other fronts, such as the acquisition of plots meant for public
amenities, the ruling party did not show much enthusiasm. Of the 48 plots
that were to be acquired at the beginning of its term, the BMC house has so
far managed only five. Mayor Datta Dalvi when asked about the ruling party's
performance vis-a-vis the election manifesto said a detailed report on the
issue would be submitted soon.

However, Ashish Shelar, a senior member of the BJP, claimed the alliance had
been able to deliver on most promises and "given another term, we will be
able to complete all the projects,'' he said.

Here's a lowdown on all the promises made by the Shiv Sena in its manifesto
and the corresponding progress made by the party in the last five years.

PARTY'S PROGRESS

ROADS

Promise: Concretisation of Mumbai's roads stopped due to insufficient funds
will be restarted by approaching IDFC for a loan

Reality: Improvement work started only after a hue and cry in the media on
the poor condition of roads and a public interest litigation was filed in
the Bombay high court about the numerous potholes. The administration then
set up the N V Merani panel to recommend ways to lay better roads. Agencies
are now following these recommendations to improve the city's roads.

WATER SUPPLY

Promise: To desilt the lakes which supply water to the city to increase
their capacity. To build new dams on Bhatsa and Kalu rivers and increase
supply to Mumbai. To implement measures to stop leakage and pilferage of
water.

Reality: Forget desilting, not a single Sena corporator has even moved a
notice of motion in the house, raising a demand that the lakes be desilted.
Both Mumbai III A and the Middle Vaitarna water supply project were planned
in the 90s and thereafter there has been no planning of new water projects
for the city.

HEALTH

Promise: Construction of toilets along the highways and near railway
stations. Construction of two major hospitals -- one in the eastern and
other in the western suburb, health check-up centres for senior citizens..

Reality: The toilets are still at the discussion stage whenever a corporator
moves a notice of motion. While the Marol hospital at Andheri East,
initially planned as a cancer hospital, is now being built as a general
hospital, there is no plan for any other facility in the western suburbs.

WASTE MANAGEMENT

Promise: Garbage to be lifted within 24 hours, beaches to be kept clean, all
open drains and gutters to be covered, garbage vans and trucks to be
regularly cleaned.

Reality: This is one division where the municipal corporation can claim some
success. Visible garbage in community bins on arterial roads have all but
disappeared. The major beaches - Juhu and Girgaum chowpatty - are regularly
cleaned; drains and gutters in several areas too have been covered, but this
make it difficult to access them for cleaning.

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