Renuka Shahane, who is known for speaking her mind on a range of issues concerning socio-political matters of the country, has written a Facebook post expressing her anger and pain over the manner in which the government has constantly ignored the civic infrastructure of the city.
In her post, published after the collapse of a bridge at a railways station in Andheri which left five injured, Shahane puts forth two pointed questions and answers them herself listing out the reasons why the authorities always ignore developmental works and quickly announces compensation packages.
Here is what she wrote on Facebook:
“Q: Why is it easy for our politicians to announce compensation for any loss of lives and/or property in disasters like the collapse of the Gokhale FOB at Andheri today?
Ans: 1) Because it is tax payers money……simple!
Q: Why is it difficult for politicians and bureaucrats to do the jobs that they have been appointed or elected for? For eg: structural audits of FOBs should have definitely been undertaken on a priority basis after the Elphinstone FOB tragedy!
Ans: 1) Because that would mean they would have to work.
2) Because that would mean giving up on the money that they get for passing files from table to another, for passing tenders of blacklisted engineers and construction companies who continue to do shoddy work.
3) Because finally compensation money is going to go out of the pockets of the tax payers so why not just wait for disasters to happen?
4) Because it is more important to go on foreign junkets ( again on tax payers money) to “study” how bridges are made in other countries; all the time stuffing oneself with food and freebies for one’s kith and kin, in the service of our great nation.
5) Because we are shameless.
6) Because everything becomes magically right the next day because of the famous Mumbai spirit &
7) Because we can fool people by laying the blame in all directions so that not one authority will be blamed &
8} Because just in case somebody is assigned any blame they will definitely be given a clean chit by their own departments
Matter closed! Get back to work Mumbai, while we get back to not working and filling our pockets with money. And dont you dare talk of corruption or black money. We are not corrupt. Didn’t you hear? Black money is now declared as white money in our great nation! So don’t complain!
There is no corruption!!!”
Shahane, 51, has previously supported Sanjay Leela Bhansali over ‘Padmaavat’, which had generated a major controversy and triggered violence.
Bridge collapse
At least five people were injured when a section of a foot overbridge caved in over the Western Railway (WR) tracks near Andheri West railway station in Mumbai on Tuesday morning following incessant rain.
The bridge crashed around 7.30 am on the southern-end of the Andheri platform numbers 7-8 falling directly on the railway tracks after crashing through the roof of the station and snapping off high-tension electrical wires.
Read More: Andheri bridge collapse: Five injured, Piyush Goyal orders inquiry even as blame game ensues
All the injured, including one woman, have been admitted to RN Cooper Hospital in Vile Parle. The condition of one of the injured is stated to be critical.
Congress, NCP criticises government
Opposition Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leaders took the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to task over the Andheri bridge collapse that left over five people injured on Tuesday.
Congress president Rahul Gandhi slammed the BJP government in Maharashtra over the lack of civic governance in the metropolis which has led to a series of incidents, including the Andheri bridge collapse.
Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde, said that the government has never taken care of the basic facilities needed for the convenience of the people of Mumbai even though it earns taxes amounting to lakhs of crores from the city.
He also called for a complete review of Mumbai’s suburban railway system.
Read More: Rahul Gandhi, NCP take BJP to task over Andheri bridge collapse
Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, Leader of Opposition, Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, accused the government of not being concerned about the lives of the people of Mumbai. In a tweet posted in Marathi, Patil said that the collapse of the Andheri bridge even after the government had claimed to have surveyed all bridges following the stampede on Elphinstone Bridge is a matter of shock.