Mayor Dayashankar Tiwari responds and shares his vision for the city to the TOI Debate panellists.
All panelists agreed with the view that potholed roads should be rehabilitated only in an election year.
We must look at it holistically. Every government organ, from the state to the civil bodies, devoted all of their resources to fighting the pandemic over the last two years. Road construction and maintenance didn’t get the attention that they deserve, even though it was important to save lives and stop the spread of the infection. Road construction and maintenance were not given the attention they deserved. The city was hit hard by a second wave of disease, which took a while to recover from. Now that things are slowly returning to normal, road work has resumed. We have made rapid progress in making sure that roads are free from potholes and that all roads within the NMCs jurisdiction will be repaired soon.
Another concern was whether cement roads were really necessary, especially from an environmental perspective.
We are certain of it. People often ask how rainwater can seep in. To prevent this, stormwater drains were built on either side of the road. The median has been planted with trees and they are being maintained. Many people say that roads rise in height, but few realize that tar roads add layer upon layer. Nagpur’s tar road was 3.5 feet deep. It had been removed to reach a chamber below. We are also using more natural resources by using tar, as tar roads require more maintenance while cement roads can last for many decades.
24×7 water is still a promise that hasn’t been fulfilled in entire city.
When we started this project, Nagpur’s population was not the same as it is today. Each year, the situation improves and we are closer to our goal of 24×7 water supply. NMC has stopped the transport of 197 water tankers. This means that water is getting to people on time. The water supply network is expanding and more areas are being covered. This is a sign of progress.
Garbage collection agencies are fined and changed. Are they not doing the right job?
We were not happy with the way things were being handled. The agency that wins the tender must make qualitative changes. We have examined the Indore model, and will test the zone-level segregation centre format. Without citizens’ participation, this project will not be a success. Who dumps garbage on the streets? NMC employees dont, citizens do. We all have to work together and push the clean Nagpur initiative.
Nagpur was once ranked among the top two to three greenest cities of India. Is environment not a priority for corporates? Are we being too optimistic when we assume it will be included in the election agenda?
Every politician will have the responsibility to deliver the citizens’ wishes. Every politician, no matter what party they are affiliated with, will have to meet the citizens’ demands. NMC has been involved in several green initiatives. We are creating a fragrance garden, maintaining many public gardens, and scientifically analyzing the vegetation found on road medians. We are consulted by field experts on how to protect the environment.
Financial crunch at NMC is now known, and some panellists pointed to the fact that there are several lakhs of unassessed property.
I don’t think the quantum is very high. There are unassessed properties, but they are on our radar. The entire layout is illegal, which can lead to legal problems when assessing properties. We discover that a builder sold the layout to someone illegally, and that person then sold it to another person. The chain continues. The original seller is not present and the current occupants did not know about the legal status. This is just one of many technical problems. But, this number is not even one million. These properties should be reported to us by citizens.
All panelists agreed with the view that potholed roads should be rehabilitated only in an election year.
We must look at it holistically. Every government organ, from the state to the civil bodies, devoted all of their resources to fighting the pandemic over the last two years. Road construction and maintenance didn’t get the attention that they deserve, even though it was important to save lives and stop the spread of the infection. Road construction and maintenance were not given the attention they deserved. The city was hit hard by a second wave of disease, which took a while to recover from. Now that things are slowly returning to normal, road work has resumed. We have made rapid progress in making sure that roads are free from potholes and that all roads within the NMCs jurisdiction will be repaired soon.
Another concern was whether cement roads were really necessary, especially from an environmental perspective.
We are certain of it. People often ask how rainwater can seep in. To prevent this, stormwater drains were built on either side of the road. The median has been planted with trees and they are being maintained. Many people say that roads rise in height, but few realize that tar roads add layer upon layer. Nagpur’s tar road was 3.5 feet deep. It had been removed to reach a chamber below. We are also using more natural resources by using tar, as tar roads require more maintenance while cement roads can last for many decades.
24×7 water is still a promise that hasn’t been fulfilled in entire city.
When we started this project, Nagpur’s population was not the same as it is today. Each year, the situation improves and we are closer to our goal of 24×7 water supply. NMC has stopped the transport of 197 water tankers. This means that water is getting to people on time. The water supply network is expanding and more areas are being covered. This is a sign of progress.
Garbage collection agencies are fined and changed. Are they not doing the right job?
We were not happy with the way things were being handled. The agency that wins the tender must make qualitative changes. We have examined the Indore model, and will test the zone-level segregation centre format. Without citizens’ participation, this project will not be a success. Who dumps garbage on the streets? NMC employees dont, citizens do. We all have to work together and push the clean Nagpur initiative.
Nagpur was once ranked among the top two to three greenest cities of India. Is environment not a priority for corporates? Are we being too optimistic when we assume it will be included in the election agenda?
Every politician will have the responsibility to deliver the citizens’ wishes. Every politician, no matter what party they are affiliated with, will have to meet the citizens’ demands. NMC has been involved in several green initiatives. We are creating a fragrance garden, maintaining many public gardens, and scientifically analyzing the vegetation found on road medians. We are consulted by field experts on how to protect the environment.
Financial crunch at NMC is now known, and some panellists pointed to the fact that there are several lakhs of unassessed property.
I don’t think the quantum is very high. There are unassessed properties, but they are on our radar. The entire layout is illegal, which can lead to legal problems when assessing properties. We discover that a builder sold the layout to someone illegally, and that person then sold it to another person. The chain continues. The original seller is not present and the current occupants did not know about the legal status. This is just one of many technical problems. But, this number is not even one million. These properties should be reported to us by citizens.
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