City and state with you; listen to the people, Sena

Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray addresses a passing out parade of probationary police sub-inspectors at the Maharashtra Police Academy (MPA), in Nashik

Even while it was a belligerent partner in the Devendra Fadnavis government, the Shiv Sena had mastered the art of the forked tongue. Unmindful of the fact that it has held power in the city, the party used to oppose and support projects and policies as per its whims.

A classic example was its opposition to the Metro III car shed at Aarey Colony and support to the multi-thousand-crore coastal road, despite the fact that both had adverse environmental consequences.

The first thing the Sena did when Uddhv Thackeray assumed office was to put the car shed on hold. Not scrap, but hold. And no right-thinking person in this city will be surprised if it quietly allows the project to restart at a later date.

On the other hand, the Sena has always been vocal in its support for the coastal road. The state's legal minds worked overtime to get a well-worded Bombay High Court order partially overturned in the Supreme Court, which said only essential road work can go on and no other development work can be carried out.

Now, the Sena-controlled BMC has asked the city traffic police for permission to allow trucks and heavy vehicles to enter the city at all hours. Till now, these traffic-clogging slowcoaches were allowed inside the city only between in the night and afternoon hours. In the island city, they are allowed only in the night.

Immediately after the report appeared in this paper, two kinds of opposition arose to the BMC's demand. The first was the position that it will lead to more congestion inside the city during morning and evening peak hours. Admittedly, this is true.

The second concern is more significant, given that it ascribes a sinister motive to the BMC's request to the traffic police. This involves the allegation that the civic body aims to complete a majority of the reclamation work by the time the Supreme Court hears the matter next in April 2020, thereby presenting the apex court with a fait accompli.

The Sena, which now controls both the state government and the city, should listen to these concerns and allay the fears of those concerned.

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