The demands of the country’s richest civic body, are increasing with every day. Just a day after mayor Sunil Prabhu asked for iPads for all BMC corporators, civic standing committee chairman Rahul Shewale on Wednesday demanded providing Android cellphones to them.
In his budget speech, Mr Shewale demanded cellphones with Android software for all corporators. “It will be very convenient for corporators to handle people’s grievances about potholes, garbage,water supply etc., if they are provided with Android cellphones,” he claimed.
Despite the reluctance of the civic administration, mayor Prabhu has been insisting on iPads for corporators, instead of laptops.
In the previous term, the BMC had supplied laptops to all the 227 corporators on a returnable basis. However, according to civic officials, corporators hardly used the laptops during the civic proceedings. At least 64 corporators are yet to return the laptops to the civic body.
The BMC currently provides cellphone SIM cards to the mayor, deputy mayor and chairpersons of the statutory and special committees.
Earlier, the BMC used to give them cellphones too. However, after receiving several complaints of misplacements, the BMC decided to provide SIM cards, said a senior civic official.
Meanwhile, in a clever move to wash its hands off the proposed hike in water tariff, the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP combine has demanded subsidy for water supply projects in the city from the state and Centre, both ruled by Congress.
In an attempt to meet the rising cost of water supply and sewerage projects, the civic administration has proposed a steep hike in water taxes, which is likely to put the Sena-BJP in a fix. However, the Sena has said, water taxes need not be increased if the state and Centre provide subsidy on water projects. Mr Shewale demanded subsidy on water supply projects in his budget speech.