Mumbai: Every few years politicians, corporate honchos and city plannners in Mumbai debate on the need to have a more empowered mayor for the maximum city — one who has more administrative and financial powers. A recent remark made by current Mayor Vishwanath Mahadeshwar has renewed debates for a more ‘accountable’ official for the city.
Despite incessant rainfall, disrupted train services, inundated areas and traffic congestion, Mahadeshwar had Monday said there was no water-logging in Mumbai, drawing flak from several quarters.
“I have been making my way through the city since morning…did not see water-logging anywhere. Low-lying areas or those near subways might be inundated but there has been no traffic congestion. Mumbaikars are at work and children have been going to school,” Shiv Sena’s Mahadeshwar had said, while speaking to television channels.
His comment drew ample criticism in social media and political circles, with Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) leaders even ‘gifting’ the mayor a pair of bifocals to ‘see better’.
‘Direct election will increase accountability’
Calling Mahadeshwar a “representative of a political party and not the people”, Congress leader Ravi Raja — who is the opposition leader in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) — said the mayor’s comments were not out of ignorance but a refusal to accept the situation.
“A mayor should be a responsible person — the first citizen of Mumbai. Saying the city is not flooded is a deliberate attempt to paint a false picture before the public. The mayor should instead accept what has happened and try to find solutions,” Raja said.
“The time has come to have a directly elected mayor who feels more accountable to the public and has more financial and administrative powers to take decisions.”
On Wednesday, Mumbai Congress president Milind Deora shared a 2014 video on Twitter where he had explained his reasons for demanding a directly-elected, more empowered mayor. In his tweet Deora said, “I have maintained this position since 2004 when I first became an MP. Unfortunately, all parties failed in garnering political consensus on the reform.”
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Not first controversy
This is, however, not the first time that Mahadeshwar has found himself in the middle of a controversy ever since he occupied the mayor’s office in March 2017.
Last month, he had an ugly spat with V.H. Khandkar, chief engineer of the BMC’s storm water drain department, during a site visit to supervise cleaning of a drain located close to Matoshree — the residence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray in suburban Bandra.
A supporter of the mayor had also allegedly manhandled a BMC official, prompting civic engineers, including Khandkar, to take the matter to BMC Commissioner Praveen Pardeshi.
Last year, while speaking at a public function, Mahadeshwar had again courted controversy for misquoting the number of people killed in the Kamala Mills fire as 34, instead of 14. When corrected by the media and his assistants, the mayor asked people to ignore it as a “slip of tongue.”
In a viral audio clip, in June 2017, the mayor was allegedly heard threatening a BMC official with suspension. In the 1.5-minute-long recording, he can be allegedly heard threatening the official for taking action against licensed hawkers who were not following rules.
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The Mayor is a figurehead. Even his elegant sea facing mansion is now being converted into a memorial. The administration is effectively run by the Municipal Commissioner, assisted by four service colleagues as Additional Municipal Commissioners. Powerful Committees – like Standing – award major contracts. With the state government and the BMC both being controlled by the same parties – which was not the case between 1999 and 2014 – coordination should not be a problem. The BMC has abundant financial resources. If ordinary citizens are not entirely pleased with the product, the Mayor is too ineffectual a personage to blame. Empowering him is even less of a panacea than creating the post of CDS for the armed forces.
This is just like NIrmala Sitharaman’s “nothing’s wrong with the economy”