Activists have criticised the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) for its decision to install 122 water fountains within its jurisdiction. According to several sources, each electoral ward would have one water fountain. Activists feel that heavy expenditure has already occurred to undertake the beautification for the Swachhata contest.
The NMMC commissioner, Abhijit Bangar had told the Times of India that they had planned to have one fountain for each electoral ward in the city. Moreover, it was not being done for beautification but also to combat the rising air pollution. This was done as per the guidelines of the national clean air programme.
The commissioner further said that there are various high-quality wall paintings and sculptures that had been added to public spaces that are at par with international standards. When he was told that the municipality was facing flak from activists, he countered the arguments by stating that Indore city, which won the top Swacchata awards, spent nearly Rs 500 crores for its beautifications. NMMC, on the other hand, spent far less than Indore while still having a significant impact on beautifying.
RTI activists have stated that to protect the fountains CCTVs will be installed. However, installing CCTVs will incur additional costs for the municipality. They have voiced that the budget used for the beautification of the city could be used for other necessary civic works and make the existing infrastructure much better. They further say that a white paper should be made public to track the expenditure of the civic body.
References: Times of India.
