No development in my ward's fine temple comes first

Providing Civic and health amenities takes back seat as Standing Committee chairman Ganesh Bidkar wants to spend Rs 2.15 cr from PMC kitty on renovation of temple in his ward

Standingu00a0Committee chairman Ganesh Bidkar wants to spend no less than Rs 2.15 crore, of which Rs 70 lakh has already been sanctioned, for renovation work on the Nageshwar temple in his ward. The BJP corporator insists that spending on the temple is more important than focusing on critical civic and health amenities in the ward.


Picture of neglect:u00a0A banner put up by corporator Ganesh Bidkar
gives information on the renovation of the Nageshwar temple in his
Kamla Nehru Hospital ward

"I don't mind if there's no development work carried out in my area," said Bidkar in a statement released by him.
In his statement, Bidkar also claimed that the first hindrance in his "ambitious" project was the heritage committee, whose concerns he had managed to resolve.


The nullah next to Kamla Nehru Hospital is in urgent need of a clean-up

Bidkar has been serving as a corporator from the Kamla Nehru Hospital ward (Ward No. 48) for the past decade, but many works in even the Kamla Nehru hospital that his ward is known after are pending, not to mention other development works in the area that need to be taken up on a priority basis.


The Kamla Nehru Hospital, which reportedly lacks medical equipment.
Pics/Jignesh Mistry

Ward in bad shape
A person working at the Kamla Nehru Hospital said on the condition of anonymity that several requests for equipment had been made to the PMC, but these had fallen on deaf ears. "The hospital has only one CT scan equipment, and it lacks MRI facilities. The hospital needs to increase its resources. We have appealed several times to the PMC, but we have received no response regarding their purchase," said the source. Residents said the ward was unclean and fast becoming a breeding ground for diseases.

"Hygiene is an issue here. The major problem that the residents of the area are facing is that of lack of cleanliness," said Nilesh Dhayarkar, a resident of the ward. "The corporator should make provisions to clean up the ward first and ensure that diseases do not spread." Mayor Mohansingh Rajpal came down heavily on Bidkar's plan to renovate the ancient temple.

"Most of the corporators have ancient temples in their ward, but would it be wise for everyone to spend crores on such renovation works?" said Rajpal. "Corporators should give first priority to providing basic amenities instead of just playing with the emotions of people. The temple renovation can be done later. There are several issues in Bidkar's ward like road widening and garbage collection. He should deal with these first."

The PMC every year allocates a certain amount in its budget for the renovation of temples, but Bidkar's desire to spend as much as Rs 2.15 crore on the temple has raised concerns about whether he has got his priorities right in a ward that sorely needs amenities.

Trying to justify his stand that allotting such a large amount for the Nageshwar temple work would be money well spent, the corporator said culture was an important part of citizens' life. "The temple renovation work will provide information about our culture and it will narrate the glorious past of our civilisation, our city to our next generation," said Bidkar.

"I agree that there are some incomplete works in my ward, including the still pending nurses' quarters complex (which would require Rs. 1.5 crore), building a retaining wall for nullahs through the ward (requiring Rs 10 lakh), a pipeline to carry rain water (requiring Rs 10 lakh). For the retaining wall work, the PMC staff has to run from pillar to post, so it is pending. I personally tried my best to complete these works, but I also have limits as these works won't be completed in this budget year."

(With inputs from Aishwarya Kadam)

The ancient Nageshwar Mandir
THE Nageshwar temple is a heritage structure in Somwar Peth. The restoration work being carried out at the temple is being compared with the restoration of the historical Vishrambaug Wada on Bajirao Road. Excavation work in nearby areas of the Nageshwar temple is also proposed, where some old hidden tank structures will be explored.