TOI : Thane government has dismal development record : Jan 29, 2007 

Thane: With the Thane Municipal Corporation’s (TMC) fifth civic elections
less than a week away, all political parties have been harping on about
developing the city. However, the bitter truth is that the TMC has failed
miserably in implementing its own Development Plan (DP), which has been
literally gathering dust for years.

An examination of the plan by TOI has revealed that only 67 of 804 plots
earmarked for development have been actually developed. That’s a sorry 8.3%.
If 115 of those plots are subtracted, since they fall in the Coastal
Regulation Zone, that still means only 9.7% of the DP has been implemented.

The DP had received Mantralaya’s nod in 2003. The earlier plan, the Town
Planning Scheme (TPS), on which the DP was based, came into being in 1976.

Aside from the non-development of plots, there has been encroachment on
plots reserved for public amenities. The number of slums has also risen from
78 in 1976 to 199 presently.

A closer look at the DP reveals a dismal report card. Only seven of 73
plots reserved for gardens were developed. The corresponding figures for
playgrounds, recreation grounds and open spaces are seven of 73, eight of 54
and one of 33, respectively.

The DP also has provisions for truck terminals (four), dumping grounds
(three) and parking plazas (31), but not a single one of these have come
into being as yet. Officials have also admitted that 149 of the 804 plots
have been encroached upon.

The total outlay for implementing the DP was pegged at around Rs 1,200
crore. Most of the component included the acquisition costs. The TMC, formed
in 1982, has an annual budget of about Rs 600 crore.

Thane’s first development document was the TPS, which was prepared in
1976 and was in place until the TMC was formed in 1982. A draft DP was then
prepared using the TPS as the base. However, by then the cost of land in
Thane had skyrocketed due to the real estate boom and the DP kept making to
and fro trips between Thane and Mantralaya as plots kept being dereserved.
The Mantralaya nod finally came in 2003.

“Normally, a DP has to be put in motion within three years of coming
into existence. Considering that, the TPS should have been initiated in 1986
and executed by 2001,” said Thane activist Manohar Panshikar, who has been
painstakingly working for the DP’s implementation.

“Had they given proper attention to the DP, the city would have been
free of traffic congestions,” said activist Nitin Deshpande. He cited the
example of the Old Station Road, which on paper is shown as 50 feet wide,
but hawkers have reduced it to not more than 20 feet. “The road, if made
encroachmentfree, can be made open to vehicular traffic, thereby reducing
the burden on Shivaji Road,” said Vijay Daptardar, who recently took out a
morcha against the hawkers.

“The corporators are making tall claims of development, but they have
failed to take care of small things envisaged in the TPS,” lamented
Sudhakar Bakshi, a citizen’s forum member.

Panshikar came down heavily on corporators who have failed to check
unplanned expenditure. “Where was the need to spend Rs 25 crore on the
Mumbra-Reti Bunder road, when it is owned by the National Highway Authority?”
he asked.

Citizens here appreciate the good work done by former municipal
commissioner T Chandrasekhar. “He gave a new lease of life to a city that
was choking to death,” said Shobhna Subhedar, a Thane (East) resident.
However, a majority of the population is unhappy with the civic fathers’
performance.

“They do not have vision. They are more busy serving their own
interests,” noted one senior citizen who shifted to Thane after the widely
appreciated practice of roadwidening. He is, however, disillusioned by the
performances of the administration and corporators. “Why are they speaking
of a Vision 2020 document when they cannot look beyond tomorrow?” was his
acerbic comment.

“The candidates will once again come to the voters’ doorsteps and
promise mega projects. But the fact is that they do not have the political
will to implement them,” said advocate Prashant Panchakshri. Voicing the
same concern, Panshikar added, “There is no need of any separate manifesto.
Just implement the DP and the taxpayers will be more than happy.”

THE OTHER THANE

While civic development has been poor, Thane has ironically won many
accolades for other forms of development in the recent past. This is mainly
due to the real estate boom that arose after the satellite town of Mumbai
began to be touted as ‘destination next’ while its saturated neighbour
became impossibly burdened with a huge influx of people. Wide roads,
sprawling mega-housing projects, lakes and an enviable view of the Yeoor
Hills have added to Thane’s USP.

Fast facts

Thane has 9.1 lakh voters

The total population is 17 lakh

50% live in slums

There are 116 election wards

Thane has been a Shiv Sena bastion since its council days

WATER MARK: The TMC has spent a lot of money on developing the area around
Masunda Lake. In fact, the Shiv Sena in Thane, which has been the party’s
bastion since its council days, has had development near Masunda as a major
plank before civic polls. Same is the case this time, too. However, many
playgrounds, recreation grounds and open spaces listed in the development
plan are awaiting the local administration’s attention

URL :
http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=VE9JTS8yMDA3LzAxLzI5I0FyMDEwMDA=&Mode=HTML&Locale=english-skin-custom