No need to hold monsoon session in Nagpur: Uddhav

Amid a debate over holding the next monsoon session of the Maharashtra legislature in Nagpur, in a departure from convention, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray today opposed the idea.

"There is no reason to conduct the monsoon session in Nagpur. Instead, the government should focus on taking decisions for the well-being of the people," Thackeray said, addressing reporters in Aurangabad, located 327 kms away from Mumbai.

The state government has appointed a committee of three ministers to take a final call on the venue of the monsoon session, which will be held in July.

As per convention, the monsoon and Budget sessions of the state legislature are held in Mumbai while Nagpur, the second capital of Maharashtra, hosts the winter session in December.

The committee, headed by Parliamentary Affairs Minister Girish Bapat (BJP), comprises Industries Minister Subhash Desai (Sena) and Finance Minister Sudhir Mungantiwar (BJP).

The government has justified the idea to hold the monsoon session in Nagpur on grounds that it came from legislators across parties who are worried about their accommodation in Mumbai for the monsoon session on account of the MLA hostel being due for renovation.

However, proponents of a separate Vidarbha state view the move as an indication of the Maharashtra assembly elections being held by this year-end, followed by early Lok Sabha elections in 2019.

The Sena chief also expressed regret over the difficulties faced by Aurangabad citizens due to non-disposal of municipal solid waste in the city recently.

He also asked Mayor of Aurangabad municipal corporation (AMC) and local corporators to solve the waste disposal problems plaguing the city.

Aurangabad civic body could not lift the waste for want of a disposal spot, as residents of Naregaon, where the municipal corporation dumps city's garbage, have refused to allow the AMC trucks to dump garbage in their village.