Differences between MMRDA, BMC come into open

That the municipal commissioner Johny Joseph (BMC) and Mumbai Metropolitan Regional Development Authority (MMRDA) joint commissioner T Chandrashekhar have major differences over various development projects in the city is no secret, but their differences came out in the open recently at a meeting called by city mayor Datta Dalvi.

Earlier last week, Dalvi had called a meeting of the all party leaders in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to discuss the issue of delays in the execution of projects such as widening of the Eastern and Western highways and the Jogeshwari-Vikhroli Link road, as these delays are causing traffic jams during rush hours.

During the meeting, Chandrashekhar charged that the BMC authorities are not co-operating with MMRDA and had not completed the necessary formalities for the road widening projects. However, refuting the charge, Joseph said that it was an attempt to put the BMC in the dock for MMRDA's failures.

Chandrashekhar, in turn, pointed out , "In March, MMRDA had written a letter asking BMC's opinion on shifting the drainage lines but we have not got a reply yet."

To this, Joseph raised a counter query, "On what grounds I should send my opinion to you when the state government has scrapped the earlier Brimstone Report and appointed a committee under Madhav Chitale to go into expansion of Mumbai's sewage water disposal system. Chitale committee is yet to submit its report."

After which all party leaders requested Joseph to send his opinion on the basis of the Brimstone Report about shifting drainage lines and asked MMRDA to get on with the work.

Reacting to the complaint that the quality of the work done by the MMRDA is not upto the mark, Chandrashekhar asked BMC authorities to appoint a senior official to supervise the work carried out by the MMRDA.

The suggestion was accepted unanimously by all the party leaders.

Dalvi confirmed that a spat has taken place between Chandrashekhar and Joseph during the meeting.

However, Dalvi tried to play it down and said, "When more than one agency is involved in the work, some differences of opinion do arise but everything has been sorted out and MMRDA's demands regarding various permissions have been accepted."