BJP will ensure transparency in Sambhajinagar civic body: CM Fadnavis

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday said transparency issues in the functioning of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation would be resolved if BJP won the election to the civic body. He said the city would soon have a BJP mayor.On the failure to forge an alliance with the Shiv Sena, Fadnavis said BJP had made repeated overtures, including to guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat, but local-level internal differences within Sena ultimately scuttled the alliance. Responding to a hypothetical question on what he would do if appointed mayor, Fadnavis said he had observed a lack of transparency in the municipal corporation's functioning and assured that corrective steps would be taken. The CM also pledged to take all necessary measures to position the city on the global map."Even if BJP secured a majority on its own, we would carry along its ally parties and all Hindu ideology-oriented parties in the ruling alliance. Hindutva is our SIM card. Without it, the mobile does not function," the CM said while speaking at an interview programme organised by BJP on his development vision for Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. Earlier in the day, BJP released its election manifesto, which was unveiled by Fadnavis.On the city's drinking water woes, Fadnavis targeted Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray, blaming project delays on decisions taken during his tenure. He said testing of a 3,700-horsepower pump under the water supply scheme had been completed and that water would begin reaching the city within the next two months.Fadnavis said govt had initially approved a Rs 1,600-crore project and waived the municipal corporation's contribution, but later policy changes led to delays. He added that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's AMRUT scheme, a revised Rs 2,700-crore plan was now being implemented, with loan approvals secured to cover the civic body's share. He claimed that all parts of the city, including Satara and Deolai, would receive a daily supply of purified drinking water within two months.