MUMBAI: The Congress and its alliance party politicians released their common municipal election manifesto on the footpath opposite the BMC headquarters on Tuesday,. The manifesto laid stress on the public health system, a pollution-free city and improved public transport infrastructure, among other promises. The Congress stated that no civic hospital will be privatised.Mumbai Congress chief Varsha Gaikwad, along with party MLAs Amin Patel and Aslam Shaikh, AICC secretary Sachin Sawant, and Rajendra Gawai from an RPI faction, released the manifesto at a press conference.Gaikwad stated that the party’s mission for Mumbai was to bring inclusive development for all communities, castes and religions. She stated that, through the manifesto, her party was making the Mumbaikar’s voice stronger to address civic issues.Amin Patel stated that the party worked for the common person. He said, “Through our candidate selection, we gave tickets even to those who had no political background and a financially moderate background, but were socially active and grounded.”Sawant said that since the issues mentioned in the manifesto related to common people, the party decided to release it among them instead of in a covered AC hall. Sawant said that they defined ‘MUMBAI’ as ‘Mumbai’ for ‘Unity’, ‘Mobility’, ‘Brotherhood’, ‘And’, and ‘Inclusive development’. He accused the opposition parties of playing divisive politics based on religion, region and caste and said, “We need to unite the city for inclusive development and progress.“RPI’s Gawai faction is contesting from four seats in the city in alliance with the Congress. While explaining the health benefits promised in the manifesto, Gawai said, “Health infra and a medical card will be a great help for poor people, as any health issue in a poor family brings financial stress on the family.”Key promises in the manifesto included strengthening public health by upgrading BMC hospitals with 24-hour services, affordable surgeries, and improved MRI, CT scan, dialysis, and ICU facilities; people-centric transport via feeder buses from metro stations; and revamping BEST with a 6,000-plus bus fleet. Other promises included education, water, and controlling pollution through strict construction dust control and traffic pollution reduction.The Congress also promised to work to improve the water supply to the city up to 5,000 MLD. Marathi and BMC schools will reopen. Clean air, waste management, and immediate implementation of the Street Vendor Act for hawker zones were also included in the manifesto.
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