Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde made a significant commitment on Sunday, promising residents of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar a smooth and permanent solution to their long-standing water supply crisis within the next two months. He delivered this assurance while addressing an election rally in the city, which is currently grappling with a strict once-a-week water schedule.
A Firm Deadline for Water Security
Shinde asserted that work on the new water supply project is being executed on a war footing. He directly challenged the audience to mark his words, stating, "The city will undoubtedly get water as the work is progressing on a war footing. Mark my words, the water issue of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar will get a permanent solution." This promise comes after the project has missed multiple deadlines, prolonging the hardship for citizens.
This is not the first high-level promise made to the city recently. Just a couple of days prior, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had delivered a similar pledge while campaigning for the upcoming civic elections. The repeated assurances from top state leadership underscore the political importance of resolving this critical infrastructure failure.
Election Rally Sets Political Battle Lines
The rally served as a platform for sharp political rhetoric. Shinde blamed corruption for stripping Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar of its former tag as the fastest developing city in Asia. He emphasized the significance of the upcoming polls, noting they are the first since the city's renaming from Aurangabad.
"The voters now have added responsibility to ensure only the saffron flag flies on the local civic body and those who oppose the renaming get routed out," Shinde declared, framing the election as a mandate on the renaming itself.
In a direct attack, Shinde targeted Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray, a day after Thackeray's own rally in the city. He claimed that the outcomes of the Lok Sabha, assembly, and local body elections have already proven which faction is the real Shiv Sena. "They became a duplicate Sena the day they left the ideology of Balasaheb Thackeray to form the MVA," he stated.
Promises Beyond Water: Property Rights and More
Beyond the water crisis, Shinde's speech outlined immediate solutions for other pending local demands. Key promises included:
- Issuing Property Registration (PR) cards to property holders in gunthewari areas.
- Converting leasehold properties of CIDCO into freehold.
Calling Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar a city close to the heart of the late Balasaheb Thackeray, Shinde expressed confidence that voters would elect a mayor from his Shiv Sena. He also took a swipe at AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi, who has expressed a wish to be buried in the city due to an emotional connection. Shinde retorted that in the January 15 polls, the voters would first "bury the AIMIM."
The rally has firmly set the stage for a high-stakes civic election, with the pressing issue of water supply taking center stage alongside broader political and ideological battles.
