As polls near, Mumbai Corporation clears projects for Rs. 1,000 crore.

With just weeks left for the code of conduct for the Lok Sabha polls to take effect, the Shiv Sena-BJP led Municipal Corporation cleared projects worth more than Rs. 1,000 crore recently.

This includes clearances to crucial projects related to laying, repair and reconstruction of roads. In all, over 40 proposals related to the development of the city's infrastructure were cleared without any debate.

Members from the Opposition parties said the proposals were passed clearly with an eye on the pollsCongress leader Asif Zakaria said the agenda reached the corporators recently. 'One could see it only a few hours before the meeting. The committee didn't even agree to defer the proposals to next week,' he said.

Denying the charges, Shiv Sena leader Rahul Shewale, who heads the standing committee, said the proposals were supposed to come up much earlier. 'But there were some disagreements between the administration and contractors,' he said.

Mr. Shewale is likely to contest the Lok Sabha elections from Dadar, which has been a Sena stronghold for several years.


THE HINDU