NASHIK: The Shiv Sena delegation warned the Smart City officials yesterday not to run the ‘Smart City’ work arbitrarily, or else the party will start a people’s agitation. The city has been hit severely due to the delay in Smart City work. For the past nine months, the work is under progress in the commercial belt of the Dahipool area and hasn’t been completed yet. Even the festivals like Diwali and Dusshera have arrived, but the Smart City work still awaits completion.
The whole area is in a state of disrepair and all the commercial units are suffering due to the delayed work. Yesterday around 11 am, at the initiative of former mayor Vinayak Pandey, Shiv Sena’s office bearers held a meeting at his office and then inspected the work stalled in the area. Former MLA Vasant Gite, present at the meeting, stated that the Nashik city, especially the old Nashik, is built on hills and around the Godavari River. The officials from other cities working in our city aren’t fully aware of the place. Only the locals know the city in and out.
Therefore, the Municipal Commissioner should immediately hold a special meeting with the Commissioner of Police, traders, and Smart City officials to resolve the delayed work issue. The traders were severely hit by the pandemic. Before the pandemic, demonetisation made their life tougher. Finally, they have a chance to earn as the festivals are round the corner, but the delayed work is making things worse for them. The debris and dug up roads create obstacles for the consumers, and they prefer shifting to another shopping area for purchasing.
All the traders have demanded immediate work completion for better trading. Ajay Boraste, NMC’s opposition leader, questioned whether the city leaders will respond to the delayed work or not. Smart City is the dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the present situation doesn’t depict Nashik as a smart and developed city. Instead of being an excited one, the journey to the city’s development is the worse kind of experience to date.
The picture of the famous Dahilpool area has changed completely. As the Municipal Commissioner is the administrative head, the party members will meet him for discussions. The smart city officials will leave the city once they complete the work, but it’s the city leaders responsible for the damage and future consequences. If the officials don’t complete the work in time, people’s agitation is the last resort.
The Smart City work is in progress for the past several months in Dahipool, Kanade Maruti Lane, Main Road, and other places. Many allegations have been put up against the officials, and all parties have expressed displeasure over the delayed work. Even special meetings have been held over the delayed work. After several complaints, Sitaram Kunte, President, visited Nashik and transferred the CEO of Smart City company and appointed Sumant More. Even after this move, the work didn’t gain momentum.
