The newcomers to the BMC had sought a two-month extension to study the DP before approving it

Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) plan to train first-time corporators through a seminar on the Development Plan (DP) 2034 kicked off this week with some of the newly elected representatives in attendance.

With 164 of the 227 wards in the BMC electing first-timers, their lack of experience had led to them seeking a two-month extension to study the DP before they approve it.

On Thursday, the BMC had organised presentations for all its corporators on the DP by retired bureaucrats Ramanath Jha and Gatuam Chatterjee at Sion Hospital. Of 232 corporators (227 elected and five nominated), only 159 attended the seminar. Of these, 158 are first-timers.

Most of the corporators who attended the event were keen to understand the dynamics of the DP. The most common question posed by the representatives was related to the demarcation of boundaries of ‘gaothans’ (villages) in the city.

“It was explained to the corporators that this work is done by the revenue department of the State government and as soon as the BMC is intimated about the changes in demarcations, it would be communicated to the councillors,” an official said.

Ruksana Siddiqui, one of the first-time corporators, said, “The planning changes were explained to us. Our objections were attended to, and we have been told that a ward-wise exercise would be carried out on Monday for the benefit of the newly elected corporators. I am keen on pursuing efforts to ensure hygiene and health security for citizens in the Bainganwadi ward, which I represent. There is a lot of haphazard dumping of garbage that is detrimental to the health of citizens.”

“While both the BJP and Shiv Sena improved their respective numbers in the BMC, they were unable to get the senior and experienced leaders re-elected. The winners are young and do not have enough number of senior leaders to look up to for direction in civic matters,” one corporator told The Hindu.

To deal with this issue, the Shiv Sena has nominated MP Rahul Shewali, who was its Standing Committee chairman in the BMC for five consecutive years, to mentor the party’s first-time corporators.