Parties play poster politics

Ahead of the civic polls, all the political parties have started announcing policy decisions and inaugurating various projects which are still in the rudimentary stage.

Congress leaders have erected several hoardings of chief minister Prithviraj Chavan's 1.33 FSI decision.

The hoarding states that the additional 1.33 FSI will reduce exorbitant property rates in the city, making homes more affordable.

Referring to one of the hoardings, Shama Kulkarni, member of AGNI, a city-based NGO, said, "Developers and subsequently, buyers have to pay a premium while buying the additional 0.33 FSI in the suburbs. So it cannot be a Diwali gift since gifts are always given free of cost. The hoardings are misleading."

Dinesh Shah, a resident of Nahur in the eastern suburbs, agreed. He said, "Instead of removing hoardings, political parties are making the city ugly by erecting them. And 0.33 FSI is not a gift from the government. The CM is not a developer to declare that people will get houses at a cheap rate."

Even the Shiv Sena, the ruling party of Asia's richest civic body, is displaying hoardings and inaugurating projects which are in the process of being developed.

Sena’s executive president Uddhav Thackeray has already inaugurated the Mahatma Gandhi Swimming Pool, the Samyukta Maharashtra Smarak at Shivaji Park and a Rs251 crore water tunnel, running from Verawali to Yari Road. Mayor Shraddha Jadhav has decided to inaugurate the first fire command centre in Wadala.