Mumbai, July 16 (IANS) The Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP-led alliance in Maharashtra, claiming that the very first spell of monsoon showers has completely exposed the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) developmental tallies and structural failures.

In a sharply worded editorial published in the party’s mouthpiece ‘Saamana’, the Thackeray camp targeted the civic administration for its absolute lack of accountability, accusing it of staging a political drama over a recent tragedy in Chembur.

On June 30, an 11-year-old child, Vihaan Srivastav, lost his life, and several other children were injured when a massive roadside tree crashed onto their school bus near Diamond Garden in Chembur. Following public outrage, the BMC appointed an internal inquiry committee to investigate the collapse. However, the recently submitted report has drawn heavy criticism from the opposition. The inquiry committee completely exonerated the BMC’s relevant internal departments — specifically the Gardens and Roads departments. Instead of fixing direct administrative accountability, the panel merely recommended a combined fine of Rs 7 lakh, split between the contractor and the supervising project consultant.

The editorial labelled this probe a “predetermined, favourable script”. It revealed that the official directly responsible for the city’s concreting works was himself appointed to the probe committee, making any expectations of an impartial report “pure fantasy”.

“The committee appeared to have been engineered to deliver a predetermined, favourable script. By declaring the Gardens and Roads departments entirely innocent and settling for a minor fine on the contractor, the administration has given its own officials a free pass,” it remarked.

The Thackeray camp highlighted a glaring split in messaging within the civic leadership. While experts and local residents point out that excessive and faulty concreting around roots is a primary driver behind Mumbai’s rising tree-collapse incidents, the authorities remain in active denial.

“The Municipal Commissioner has flatly denied that unscientific road concretisation plays a role in weakening tree roots. The Mumbai Mayor and other ruling politicians have actively blamed the concreting works in an apparent bid to deflect public anger. With the release of the controversial report, Mayor publicly rejected its findings, demanding a criminal case against the contractor instead of a mere penalty,” said the Thackeray camp. It dismissed these moves as hollow dramatics designed to mislead citizens.

The Thackeray camp questioned why the leadership has resorted to rhetoric instead of enforcing direct, punitive action. “The Commissioner was appointed by you. The ruling power in the Municipal Corporation belongs to you. The committee to investigate the Chembur tragedy was formed by you,” the editorial pointed out. “Yet, when the committee’s findings spark outrage, you are the ones performing high drama.”

The editorial concluded by linking the civic failures in Mumbai to broader state and national leadership patterns. It argued that when leaders at the Centre merely express “regret” over massive financial scams like the Ram Mandir donation box scandal, and a Chief Minister at the state level openly threatens opposition members who raise voices against corruption, one can hardly expect better from their Mayor in the BMC.

“From the Centre down to the civic bodies, Mumbai is unfortunately being ruled by an administration of absolute deceit, leaving ordinary citizens and children to pay the price,” the editorial said.

–IANS

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