Dear Mr. Chief Minister,

Congratulations on successful completion of one year of being in the government.

It is with deep pain and concern that I want to highlight the critical condition of infrastructure and corruption in Akola city. I want to bring to your notice to the chronic and most critical issue that the city has been facing for almost one and a half decade now:Roadways and Transport.

Condition of city roads: The condition of the roadways in Akola has only gone worse in last 10-15 years. After the BJP won the state elections last year, we had a lot of hopes, but nothing seems to happen on the ground. There are at least 40-50 roads inside the city itself that need a complete overhaul. These roads have not been repaired or constructed since ages and are simply impossible to drive on. Only one road has been (ill) constructed since 2014 and the construction finished finished 2-3 months back. However, the quality of the newly constructed road is also abysmal and it is already disintegrating. The Mahanagar Palika authorities are corrupt and are hand in glove with the contractors. To save the cost and put that extra money in their own pockets during the construction of that road, the contractors don’t use road rollers to crush the stones and make the road even. Instead, they cover the entire road with all the material (stones, gravel, etc.) and let the people drive on that for 2 months. Now, there are several problems with this:

a.     The contractor gets all the money that is supposed to be used for the road roller and adds to his black money.

b.     The citizens, especially the old ones, are facing a lot of physical problems including back problems and spine ailments.

c.      Most of the critical hospitals and colleges in the city are in the area connected only by this road. So, the ambulance and the ailing patients have to travel through so painful journey to reach the hospital. In case a patient dies during this, who should be held responsible?

d.      Since, it increased the travel time 2-3 times, there is a lot of traffic congestion in the same area leading to pollution and accidents.

e.     Since during this period most of the stones and gravel are pushed to the side of the road, the quality of the road is very poor and deteriorates very quickly and the roads are again in the same condition as before.

 

Now, according to an RTI application, the Akola Municipal Corporation sent a large portion of the development funds back to the state because the contractors here were not ready to accept the “demands” of the Nagarsevaks for bribes. In one such scenario, a contract was allegedly awarded to a contractor for the construction of a major road in city. The contractor bought the required material and put it alongside the road to start the construction, but the Municipal Corporation refused to clear his funds. When after repeated requests the contractor did not get his money, he had to collect all the material from the road and go back.

Having spent my entire life in Akola, it is very painful for me to watch my hometown become one of the worst examples of “kushaasan” in Maharashtra. We have BJP ruling the Municipal Corporation, state as well as the center since almost one year, but there is still no sign of development on the ground in the city. The citizens here are getting more and more depressed by the day and losing their trust in the government. The MLAs and MPs from Akola also have done little to address this issue. That’s why I am writing this to you, as you are the only person in the government that I trust right now. I would request you to personally look into this matter and see to it that some concrete steps are taken in this direction. I’d be honoured to meet you in person and explain the situation myself, or give a tour of the city if you want, or anything that is possible from my side. I am ready to personally work with the government for the same, if it helps in any way. I am ready to do anything that will help to building a better, cleaner and more developed Akola. And I am sure with your guidance and help, it is entirely possible.

 

Warm regards,

Mehul Sayani

Akola