As political parties stare at the upcoming civic polls to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday directed the civic administration to speed up beautification projects, demolish unauthorised constructions and maintain utmost transparency in road contracts to be awarded.

“No illegal constructions will be tolerated in Mumbai. Each ward officer is responsible to ensure this. Pressure from anyone should not be tolerated as the State government stands with you,” said Mr. Thackeray at a meeting of the BMC officials.

Flak over contracts

As the BMC faces flak over awarding road contracts to tainted contractors and perennial potholes on city’s roads, The Chief Minister asked the civic administration to demonstrate utmost transparency in the road tender process. “Nobody should be able to point finger at the process,” he said.

The Shiv Sena controls the BMC for over a two decades now and the civic polls are likely to be held between December 2021 and January 2022 if the positivity rate of COVId-19 patients remain on the downward slope. “The Mumbai model of controlling the spread of the pandemic was appreciated the world over and we must continue this by focusing on bettering civic amenities,” he said.

Directions have been given to set up special squads on the lines of sanitation squads to clean debris to ensure construction material is picket up at the earliest. Adding that the Mumbai beautification project has to be completed on a war footing, Mr. Thackeray has directed the civic officials to fill potholes on city’s roads.