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Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, Ajit Pawar, on Friday blamed corruption in local bodies in the state currently run by an administrator for delaying the municipal elections.
Pawar claimed that in such cases, municipal administrations take up big projects but without transparency and this leads to corruption.
Pawar was speaking as part of a debate the opposition raised in Parliament on Friday afternoon. He alleged that the government is pressuring local bodies to make decisions that are not financially sustainable but are aimed at political gains, such as the Mumbai beautification project.
“Since no elections are held, there is a nominal administrator at the municipal level. However, the Department of Urban Development interferes in the affairs of local bodies. A decision could have been taken to allow the previous elected representatives to continue after their term ended. This was not done,” he said.
“The government is falling and the people in the city are suffering. There is a standstill in the real useful work, for plumbing and sanitation, the roads are dug up and the work is late. There is no fleet of elected representatives for checks and balances,” Pawar said.
Pointing to an advertisement for the beautification project in Mumbai, he said, “This government advertisement announces that 500 beautification works have started. This is said to be the initiative of the Chief Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister. Let the local bodies have their independence, let them govern themselves,” Pawar said.
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