Political drama takes over theatre proposal

Mumbai: More than two years after Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray laid the foundation stone for the twin-city’s first drama theatre (auditorium) at Kashimira in 2015, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Mira Bhayandar Municipal Corporation (MBMC) has stoked a fresh controversy by mooting a proposal to scrap permission awarded to a private builder for constructing the auditorium.

While the local Sena leadership has dared the BJP to go ahead with their ill-fated plans and be ready to face the consequences, mayor Dimple Mehta (BJP) apparently sensing an imminent confrontation with its former ally has said that the proposal was not to abort the much needed project but was aimed for its speedy construction. The resolution will come up before that general body on December 8. It should be noted that since the much-hyped foundation stone laying ceremony, the construction work still lies in doldrums, even as the civic administration, which is the executing agency, is yet to ensure that the developer begins work.  

Moreover, the project has failed to take off apparently due to land related legal hurdles and a mix-up on cost burden related to expenses on the interiors. Drama lovers in the city who are eagerly waiting for the auditorium are disappointed with the apathy, which has led to the unprecedented delay and wants the civic administration to take the matter into their own hands. Interestingly, the civic administration has expressed its willingness to ensure the project is completed by December 2018.  

“There is no point in dragging the project into a political controversy as our proposal clearly mentions it to be legally binding upon the builder to complete the project in a stipulated time frame, failing which the MBMC will take the matter into its own hands. It’s our endeavour to build the auditorium at the earliest,” clarified Ms Mehta.