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By:

Abhijit Mulye

21 August 2024 at 11:29:11 am

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This...

Shinde dilutes demand

Likely to be content with Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai Mumbai: In a decisive shift that redraws the power dynamics of Maharashtra’s urban politics, the standoff over the prestigious Mumbai Mayor’s post has ended with a strategic compromise. Following days of resort politics and intense backroom negotiations, the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena has reportedly diluted its demand for the top job in the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), settling instead for the Deputy Mayor’s post. This development, confirmed by high-ranking party insiders, follows the realization that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) effectively ceded its claims on the Kalyan-Dombivali Municipal Corporation (KDMC) to protect the alliance, facilitating a “Mumbai for BJP, Kalyan for Shinde” power-sharing formula. The compromise marks a complete role reversal between the BJP and the Shiv Sena. Both the political parties were in alliance with each other for over 25 years before 2017 civic polls. Back then the BJP used to get the post of Deputy Mayor while the Shiv Sena always enjoyed the mayor’s position. In 2017 a surging BJP (82 seats) had paused its aggression to support the undivided Shiv Sena (84 seats), preferring to be out of power in the Corporation to keep the saffron alliance intact. Today, the numbers dictate a different reality. In the recently concluded elections BJP emerged as the single largest party in Mumbai with 89 seats, while the Shinde faction secured 29. Although the Shinde faction acted as the “kingmaker”—pushing the alliance past the majority mark of 114—the sheer numerical gap made their claim to the mayor’s post untenable in the long run. KDMC Factor The catalyst for this truce lies 40 kilometers north of Mumbai in Kalyan-Dombivali, a region considered the impregnable fortress of Eknath Shinde and his son, MP Shrikant Shinde. While the BJP performed exceptionally well in KDMC, winning 50 seats compared to the Shinde faction’s 53, the lotter for the reservation of mayor’s post in KDMC turned the tables decisively in favor of Shiv Sena there. In the lottery, the KDMC mayor’ post went to be reserved for the Scheduled Tribe candidate. The BJP doesn’t have any such candidate among elected corporatros in KDMC. This cleared the way for Shiv Sena. Also, the Shiv Sena tied hands with the MNS in the corporation effectively weakening the Shiv Sena (UBT)’s alliance with them. Party insiders suggest that once it became clear the BJP would not pursue the KDMC Mayor’s chair—effectively acknowledging it as Shinde’s fiefdom—he agreed to scale down his demands in the capital. “We have practically no hope of installing a BJP Mayor in Kalyan-Dombivali without shattering the alliance locally,” a Mumbai BJP secretary admitted and added, “Letting the KDMC become Shinde’s home turf is the price for securing the Mumbai Mayor’s bungalow for a BJP corporator for the first time in history.” The formal elections for the Mayoral posts are scheduled for later this month. While the opposition Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA)—led by the Shiv Sena (UBT)—has vowed to field candidates, the arithmetic heavily favors the ruling alliance. For Eknath Shinde, accepting the Deputy Mayor’s post in Mumbai is a tactical retreat. It allows him to consolidate his power in the MMR belt (Thane and Kalyan) while remaining a partner in Mumbai’s governance. For the BJP, this is a crowning moment; after playing second fiddle in the BMC for decades, they are poised to finally install their own “First Citizen” of Mumbai.

A Valuable Resource

Updated: Feb 10, 2025

biodegradable

Dear Readers, hopefully you have now prepared yourself to segregate your household waste into ‘wet’ or ‘biodegradable’ and ‘dry’ or ‘non-biodegradable’ waste categories. Further, you have now decided to start composting. You would have got some guidelines from my previous articles in this series. But one always needs actual hands-on training or guidance from the experts. (Eventually, over the period, you yourself will be an expert in this field and will start providing guidance to others who need it!).


In my last week’s article, I had briefly introduced one NGO namely Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal (Enviro-Vigil) working in Thane, Dombivali-Kalyan and in the rural area beyond Kalyan. More about Green Living Consultancy provided by this NGO.


Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal provides consultancy and services to the cooperative housing societies, individual residences, educational institutes, hotels and restaurants, corporate offices etc. in the following sectors.

Waste Management and Waste Audit:


Waste or Garbage is not really a ‘waste’ per se but is valuable resource. Proper segregation of the household waste and further utilization of the segregated waste can earn additional revenue to the residential societies. PDM provides guidance in this regard. They have a team of experts who will visit your house or your society, locate a suitable area or space under your guidance for setting up of a bio- or vermi-composting unit for your society.


They will guide and help you in preparing a suitable pit for biocomposting. At the individual level, you can use a plastic bucket for biocomposting at household level as described in my previous article. But at the society or community level, you need a bigger well-constructed pit.


On the basis of number of households in a society and how much biodegradable waste is generated, this team of experts will give you  the specifications about the size of the composting pit, it’s design etc. and will give you an on site demonstration about how to arrange the raw materials in different layers, how to add the biodegradable waste etc.


They also manage this compost pit for certain period and will eventually train the gardener or other responsible person appointed by the society for this task. Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal has set up such biocomposting units at many residential complexes in Thane.


Apart from services in the waste management sector, Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal also provides consultancy services in Energy Management, Waste water recycling, Rainwater Harvesting, Setting up a Butterfly Garden and performing Green Audit etc. 


Apart from these services, Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal is also helping societies and other establishments in assessment and enhancement of biodiversity within their premises. Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal has recently launched an initiative called ‘MY LAKES’, to spread awareness about the lakes in Thane city.


This NGO also organizes ‘Nandanvan’ Beautiful Garden Competition for the gardening enthusiasts in Thane as well as in Kalyan, Dombivali, Titwala etc. In addition, this NGO has a few ongoing projects in which you can participate.  For more information about this and other activities conducted by PDM,  please contact the following numbers: 

Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal Dombivali: 9833046634

Paryavaran Dakshata Mandal Thane:  9372358454


(The author is an environmentalist. Views personal.)

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