The much-awaited coordination committee meeting between the BMC and the state was scrapped on Monday, as it could not rope in the deputy chief minister and the guardian minister to attend it.
According to civic officials, the meeting was postponed as the new GR, which allows the deputy CM and the guardian minister to participate in such coordination meetings, has not come into effect. “The meeting was cancelled due to some technical administrative issues. It will now be held next week,” said a civic official.
The BMC administration has prepared a list of 38 important issues to press for their demands. Of late, the state officials have openly expressed their displeasure concerning several issues in the BMC like the missing files, pockmarked roads, etc. Inversely, the Shiv Sena-ruled BMC has been accusing the Congress-NCP state government of ignoring its various attempts to resolve civic issues.
In the meeting, the BMC will be demanding that the state pay the outstanding dues worth over `2,000 crore and expedite work on the already delayed bridge on the Middle Vaitarna dam, among others.
“The state owes `2,264 crore to the BMC in the form of grants, aid, local taxes refund, property taxes and sewage and water supply charges. We are trying to get this amount from the state government,” said mayor Sunil Prabhu