Sena, NCP, BJP say no to BMC bifurcation

MUMBAI: The Shiv Sena, NCP and BJP have opposed the suggestion made by the Congress to bifurcate the gargantuan BMC.
The suggestion to bifurcate the civic body was made by Congress MLA Bhai Jagtap who is known for his proximity to chief minister Ashok Chavan. Jagtap had said that the division was necessary in the interest of providing better services to people.
Shiv Sena chief executive Uddhav Thackeray alleged the Congress made the suggestion with the 2012 BMC elections in mind.He said the Sena would oppose the move tooth and nail.
According to the Sena, the Congress was making preparations to win the civic polls and was trying to create confusion in the run-up to the polls. Deputy chief minister and NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal too opposed the bifurcation idea. "There is no need for the division,'' he said.
BJP group leader in the BMC Ashish Shelar said the Congress' suggestion was "anti-Mumbaikar. If there are two corporations, then both the civic bodies would levy octroi.
This will result in a further increase in prices. The BMC gets 70% of its revenue from octroi.'' According to Shelar, a new civic body would also levy octroi. "So goods entering the suburbs and the island city will be taxed twice. We will oppose the move strongly.''
According to senior civic officials, bifurcation would cause complications in the civic administration. "The delivery of civic services should be improved using modern technology. The computerisation programme is in a shambles despite hundreds of crores being spent on it. A premier city like Mumbai should have had e-governance long ago,'' a deputy commissioner said.