Aaditya Thackeray on Tuesday accused the Eknath Shinde–Devendra Fadnavis-led Maharashtra government of large-scale scams, cost overruns and prolonged delays
in Mumbai’s key infrastructure projects, stepping up his attack ahead of the state’s municipal elections.
In an interview with CNBC-TV18, the Shiv Sena (UBT) senior leader alleged that road projects announced under the current government were inflated and poorly executed. He claimed that in 2023 alone, two road packages worth ₹6,080 crore were announced, but little work had been completed on the ground.
“When I exposed this in a press conference, the cost came down from ₹6,080 crore to ₹5,000 crore within two days, which itself shows there was a scam,” Thackeray said.
He added that despite fresh allocations the following year, progress remained negligible. “In both the packages that he has brought, not even 5% of the work has been done,” he said, referring to deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde, and challenged him to jointly inspect roads across the city to show tangible outcomes of spending.
Thackeray also highlighted delays and cost escalations in major infrastructure projects, including the Gokhale Bridge in Andheri, which he said had caused severe inconvenience to western suburbs residents. He attributed the delays to contractor-related issues and governance failures, resulting in hours of traffic congestion.
Contrasting past and present administrations, he pointed to the coastal road project. The southbound coastal road, planned and executed under the previous Shiv Sena-led government, was completed on schedule, while the northbound coastal road under the current government has seen multiple contractor changes since 2015, repeated cost escalations and limited progress. “Only the pillars have started appearing right now,” he said.
Also Read | Pothole-free Mumbai by end-2026 is my promise: Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde
Thackeray also questioned the political narrative promoted by the ruling BJP, particularly its criticism of foreign countries over democratic processes. “What is the relevance of Americans or British people to Mumbai?” he asked, urging the focus to return to local governance and delivery.
The remarks come ahead of elections to 29 municipal corporations in Maharashtra, including the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, scheduled for January 15, with votes counted the following day. Infrastructure delivery, roads and urban governance are emerging as key campaign issues.
