Raj Thackeray expressed concern over Mumbai's roads, traffic, and urban planning. In a meeting with CM Fadnavis, he said that the politics of potholes should end and the government should focus on the city's basic infrastructure plans.
Mumbai: Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray met Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis in Mumbai on Thursday. The meeting focused on issues such as the city's roads, traffic, encroachment, and urban planning. After the meeting, Raj Thackeray said in a press conference that the city's problems will not be solved by giving land only to big investors. He said that instead of focusing on issues like urban Naxals, the government should focus on the real problems of the city, such as traffic, roads, and parking.
Emphasis on Urban Planning
Raj Thackeray said that urban planning is the most important issue for him. He mentioned that he has been continuously discussing this subject with the Chief Minister for the past few days. Thackeray said that the traffic of any city predicts its future. Mumbai, Thane, Pune and other cities have seen a rise in population, but the problem of planning still remains. He clarified that if there is no proper planning in the cities, then anarchy and civic inconvenience will increase in the future.
Sharp Attack on the Poor Condition of Roads
Raj Thackeray said that building roads has become a business. Roads are built so that they have potholes, and then a new tender can be issued for their repair. After that, new roads are built, and this cycle continues. He said that if political parties know that people will vote for them despite the potholes, why would they improve the quality of roads? Thackeray also said that the roads of a metropolis like Mumbai appear to outsiders because of the potholes, while the locals have become accustomed to these problems.
Opinion on Parking and Coastal Road Plan
Raj Thackeray also expressed concern about public parking and the coastal road plan. He said that parking rates are very low compared to the price of a car, but people do not pay for it seriously. Thackeray questioned whether people are ready to pay for parking on the basis of per square foot of the house. He said that a parking plan was made on the coastal road, but this plan was affected due to the opposition of the residents.
Focus on City Problems Instead of Urban Naxals
Raj Thackeray said that instead of focusing on issues like urban Naxals, the government should focus on urban planning and the city's basic problems. He believes that the well-being of the city's citizens and the solution of problems like traffic, roads and encroachment is most important.
Traffic and the City's Growing Population
Raj Thackeray said that the future can be predicted by looking at the traffic situation in cities like Mumbai, Thane, and Pune. Due to the increasing population and increasing vehicles, the number of traffic jams and accidents is increasing. He suggested that the government should focus on the city's basic plan, road network and public transport.
Raj Thackeray said that there is a cycle of building roads. First a road is built, then it develops potholes. A new tender is issued for the repair of the potholes, and after that the road is rebuilt. He questioned that if the public votes despite the potholes, why would political parties invest in improving the roads.
City's Parking Problem
Thackeray also drew attention to the parking problem in the city. He said that parking rates are low, but people do not pay for it. Due to this, public parking is not being used properly. He said that if people pay parking fees on time, there will be less chaos in the city.
