Your wait to enjoy a meal on a terrace restaurant in Mumbai just got longer. The BMC's roof-top restaurant policy has become the latest casualty in the tussle between the Shiv Sena and the BJP. With the BJP taking on the Sena over the de-silting scam and the Sena hitting back by opposing the meat ban, the latter has decided to defer the policy for now.

The policy, backed by Yuva Sena chief Aaditya Thackeray, was to come up for approval before the civic General Body this month.

"We are not tabling the policy right now. It has been put on hold indefinitely. We will table it when the time is right," said Shiv Sena leader Trushna Vishwasrao. Already, the BMC's parking, open spaces and illegal banner policies are pending clearance from BMC corporators for over a year. The BJP has opposed the roof-top restaurants policy and it has been rejected twice over the last two months.

With both the ruling parties battling each other, the BMC is seeing a policy paralysis of sorts. As the Sena –BJP oppose new policies, opposition parties disrupting debates and creating a ruckus even during crucial meetings, development work has come to a standstill.

Similarly, while the Sena hit out at the BJP over installation of white LED lights at Marine Drive, the BJP has ensured that the Aaditya's plan to revive the city's nightlife never takes off."Opposition is now in fashion in the city's political discourse. This looks like an attempt to mobilise workers and create a space among residents. However, the city will suffer if this continues," said PG Jogdand, sociology professor at the University of Mumbai.

Civic officials said that they are skeptical about proposing anything new. "All policies are being stalled. Even small ward-level proposals are mired in controversy. We have stopped getting innovative ideas. The atmosphere is such that everything will be opposed by at least one party, so we are just focusing on routine matters," said a senior civic official.

While the ruling parties fight each other, opposition parties too have managed to do their bit. The Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) managed to stall the revamp of Byculla's Bhau Daji Lad museum.

Congress legislator Nitesh Rane opposed the Sena's bid to install open air gymnasiums at Marine Drive. Similarly, Aslam Shaikh, Congress legislator who is overseeing the party's affairs in the BMC, ensured that his party disrupted maximum civic meetings and hit out at the ruling parties.

Policies stuck in Sena-BJP crossfireParking, open spaces, roof-top restaurants and illegal banner policy