Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Dec 15: With elections to 29 municipal corporations on the horizon, the state’s urban development department has cleared funds amounting to Rs 111.6 crore for improving basic civic amenities, sparking speculation that the announcement of urban local body polls is imminent.
The department issued 15 government resolutions on Saturday approving the release of the funds under a “special provision” scheme. Once the model code of conduct comes into force following the poll announcement, fresh fund releases would require clearance from the State Election Commission (SEC), adding to the belief that the election schedule may be declared soon. Monday marks the deadline for publishing final electoral rolls for municipal corporations.
More than half of the sanctioned amount — Rs 57 crore — has been allocated to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The funds will be used for infrastructure works in areas such as Andheri West, LBS Road, Naigaon, Bandra West, Colaba, Chira Bazaar and Azad Maidan. Planned projects include construction of footpaths, sewage-related works, and installation of taps and drainage gutters.
Municipal corporations in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region have also received substantial allocations. Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Mira-Bhayander and Bhiwandi-Nizampur together have been sanctioned Rs 16.3 crore, while Vasai-Virar has been allotted Rs 2.5 crore.
Civic bodies in the Pune division have received Rs 22.5 crore, with Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations accounting for Rs 12.5 crore of that amount. Additional funds have been approved for Nagpur (Rs 1.3 crore), Nashik (Rs 2.7 crore) and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar municipal corporations.
The long-delayed local body elections began earlier this month with municipal council polls on December 2. While the SEC had initially planned to hold elections to the 29 municipal corporations in the final phase in January, it is now weighing alternative schedules. This follows complications arising from reservation-related issues, as several zilla parishads have crossed the 50 per cent quota limit, preventing elections until the matter is resolved.
As per a Supreme Court directive, all local body elections in Maharashtra must be completed by January 31. State Election Commissioner Dinesh Waghmare has indicated that authorities are considering three options — holding municipal corporation polls in the next phase, conducting elections to the remaining zilla parishads and panchayat samitis, or clubbing both together in a single phase.