Paver blocks to the rescue! Seat-sharing woes: Cong, NCP vie for bigger share
Entire stretches of pot-holed tar roads are being resurfaced with paver blocks with an eye on August 25 deadline This time too, the negotiations should be on the basis of results of 2009 election results, says Thakre
After denying that they would be using paver blocks extensively to fill potholes, BMC is doing exactly that.
Entire stretches of potholed tar roads are being resurfaced with paver blocks. We have just five days to meet the August 25 deadline to fill potholes before the Ganesh festival, so we have no choice, civic road engineers said.
In fact, roads on which gigantic idols of the elephantheaded god will arrive are being redone with paver blocks in the damaged sections.
FPJ had reported last month that civic road engineers were in favour of using paver blocks to fill potholes (`Paver blocks or virtual saver blocks’). Civic chief Sitaram Kunte had then said that paver blocks would be used selectively in areas where there was chronic flooding.
``We have used paver blocks on arterial roads as they are better and more durable than repair with cold mix,’’ said Goswami, deputy chief road engineer for Eastern suburbs. He did not say whether the paver blocks would be a temporary measure.
His counterpart in the Western suburbs, Agarwal, said that their priority was repairing the roads on which the gigantic idols would be carted. In smaller potholes, the BMC is using cold mix.
Corporator Rais Shaikh said that roads in Govandi and Baiganwadi had been repaired with cold mix three times this monsoon. He said the roads improved after paver blocks were used in the bad stretches.
When the BMC tested cold mix, 13 per cent of it turned out to be substandard. Revealing this, additional municipal commissioner S V R Srinivas said the company would be penalised.
Rejecting pressure tactics by its coalition partner over seat-sharing for the oncoming Lok Sabha elections, the Congress has mounted pressure on NCP by hinting that they will demand more seats from it. NCP is constantly claiming that Congress has agreed to contest 26 and that NCP would contest 22 seats. But the State Congress has refused to have agreed to such a seatsharing arrangement.
“In the last 3 elections, we have first discussed the issue of seat-sharing at state level and later high commands of both parties have sanctioned it with or without amendment. Why is NCP running away from having talks at this level this time?,’’ questioned State Congress president Manikrao Thakre. State has 48 Lok Sabha seats. “We discussed seat sharing on the basis of last Lok Sabha and Assembly results.
In 2004, Congress and NCP shared 27 and 21 seats formula, in 2009 they demanded one more seat by claiming that their strength in the assembly had increased by two seats and we agreed. This time too, the negotiations should be on the basis of results of 2009 election results,’’ Thakre demanded.
When asked if this means that you will demand more Lok Sabha seats this time as you have won 20 seats more in 2009, Thakre indirectly hinted that they would do so. “You are free to interpret,’’ he stressed.
Cong to launch 'Vision 2014' for LS elections
Gearing up for the Lok Sabha polls, the state Congress on Monday said it would launch its program 'Vision 2014' at a meeting of the state unit this week.
"We have undertaken a comprehensive programme for the 2014 general elections. The programme, called Vision 2014, will be launched during a meeting of MPCC on August 21," Thakre announced in a press conference.
The meeting would be addressed by Chief Minister
Prithviraj Chavan, Union Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, state Industries Minister Narayan Rane, former Chief Minister Ashok Chavan, state incharge of the party Mohan Prakash and general secretaries of the AICC.
"We will also launch 'Vachan-purti' (promises fulfilled) conclaves in all the districts," Thakre said, adding that ' Vikas rath-yatras' will also be taken out.
The first yatra will be organised on September 21 from Washim in Vidarbha.