Ameet Bhaskar Satam is a member of the 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. He represents the Andheri-West Assembly Constituency for the second term. He belongs to the Bharatiya Janata Party. He has been doing a number of things for the citizens in his own ways to improve the surroundings and to get what’s rightfully belongs to them. Ameet Satam had written a letter to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal urging him to give free vaccination to all Mumbaikars in the age group of 18 to 45 years with an orange ration card during the pandemic. “It will cost around INR 1,000 crores. Mumbai Municipal Corporation has an FD of INR 60,000 crore. Over the last year, the municipal corporation has spent thousands of crores of rupees on COVID-19 and the complete lockdown or restrictions have put a financial strain on many. Hence, I have demanded that the Municipal Corporation should take the initiative to get everyone out of the crisis as soon as possible and get everything back to normal,” said Ameet Satam.
Local Congress leaders had alleged in 2019 that part of Cama Road at Andheri West, that was to be constructed by a developer, was instead completed by MLA Ameet Satam. As part of the benefit for more Floor Space Index (FSI) in an SRA project that he was developing, the builder was to construct and hand over the road to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). But now there are banners hailing Satam for completing the road that was pending for 80 years, in 15 days. When contacted, Satam said the road was constructed for around Rs 10 lakh. Satam said, “The locals wanted my intervention since the BMC was unable to construct the road as it falls under an SRA project. Until the project is completed the residents might have had wait for a proper road, and that is why I helped them. Why should they suffer without a road? Now the opposition is blaming me for doing work for citizens. Its rubbish that I have helped the developer, I have only helped the residents who came to me with their problem.”
He even raised the issue of Powai Lake assessment. Even as protests against BMC’s cycle track around Powai lake continue, information received under Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that no desilting has been carried out at the lake for 11 years.
According to information given to BJP MLA Ameet Satam by the BMC’s water works department under the RTI Act, which has data till December 2021, BMC removed floating material and water hyacinth from the surface between 2015-18, spending around Rs 6.5 crore on the contract. BMC has already spent around Rs 33.9 crore on beautification projects at the lake and its periphery.
“BMC is rushing to build a cycle track and walkway, but activists say under its guise a road is being built at Powai lake. Data shows that for so many years, Powai lake has been ignored by BMC and even basic desilting has not been carried out for over a decade. Due to lack of desilting, the water quality has deteriorated. This shows that the BMC is not interested in preserving Powai lake or its natural habitat but wants to spend money on the cycle track,” Satam said.
Surjitt Sahani
