Shiv Sena (UBT) leaders Aaditya Thackeray, MLA and Arvind Sawant, south Mumbai MP, will boycott the inauguration of the south-bound arm of the prestigious coastal road by chief minister Eknath Shinde along with deputy CMs Devendra Fadnavis and Ajit Pawar on Monday at 11 am. The 10.58 km long road is being built by the BMC at a cost of over Rs 14,000 Cr. The north-bound arm is expected to be completed by June.
"Massive corruption" in BMC
Thackeray is having a running battle with the state government and municipal commissioner IS Chahal over the issue of "massive corruption" in the BMC. With great regularity Thackeray has been exposing one scandal after another in the civic body. But, these have been vehemently denied by Chahal. Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Harshal Pradhan told the FPJ on Saturday that there is no way Thackeray will be attending the inauguration. He has been invited in his capacity as the MLA from Worli.
The inauguration will be at the Worli-end of the coastal road. Sawant said he has not attended a single programme organised by the Shinde-led Sena. The Shiv Sena (UBT) is of the firm opinion that the present government is "unconstitutional" and deserves to be boycotted.
Toll-free coastal road will be open to public from Tuesday 8.00 am onwards
The BMC spokesperson Tanaji Kamble said the toll-free coastal road will be open to the public from Tuesday 8.00 am onwards. The road can be used from 8.00 am to 8.00 pm from Monday to Friday. It will be shut on Saturdays and Sundays. This is to enable the contractors to complete pending work, Kamble explained.
Entry is from Bindu Madhav Thackeray Chowk on Khan Abdul Gaffar Khan Road (Worli seaface). After going through an underwater tunnel motorists can exit at Princess Street Flyover in eight minutes at a speed of 80 kmph. The project is expected to save not only south-bound travelling time, but also cut down fuel usage substantially.
A highlight of the project is the creation of a green area spread over 70 acres and a sea front promenade at Worli which is two and a half times the length of Marine Drive.
