Has Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar resolved all civic issues, ask residents as civic body presents road, lane naming proposals

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: A push to name 14 lanes and chowks in one go has sparked a controversy in the city, with residents, activists and politicians questioning the civic body’s priorities given that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar city is struggling with basic infrastructure challenges, including water shortage and garbage issues.

Political analyst Sarang Takalar said: “Presumably, the city must have run out of actual civic issues and matters requiring attention; that is perhaps why resolutions to assign names to lanes, squares, and roads have taken centrestage.”

The resolutions were slated for discussion in Wednesday’s general body meeting of the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar Municipal Corporation (CSMC), but the meeting was cancelled after the model code of conduct for the Aurangabad-cum-Jalna Local Authorities’ MLC election kicked in.

“Unfortunately, even those councilors who style themselves as ‘seniors’ in the House bring forth such resolutions,” Takalar said.

The backlash has also come from within BJP. State executive committee member and former deputy mayor Prashant Desarda publicly questioned his party colleagues. “It is imperative to prioritise civic issues, particularly given that the city was under administrative rule for the past five years. I, therefore, request that we shift our priorities and focus our attention on core developmental tasks,” he said.

Highlighting pressing concerns, Desarda added, “I have even called up BJP cabinet minister Atul Save and district guardian minister Sanjay Shirsat, among others, to bring their attention to the matter,” stressing that water supply and garbage management have become critical issues.

The opposition, too, has weighed in. AIMIM state president Imtiaz Jaleel said, “It seems there are no real issues left to be addressed in the city. Tell the ruling party to hold a special general body meeting once, exclusively for name changing, so that we can then start focusing on matters that concern everyday life of residents.”

While some AIMIM proposals on civic issues have drawn limited praise, the larger debate has now shifted to governance priorities in a city grappling with basic infrastructure challenges.

BJP mayor Sameer Rajurkar, however, did not respond to requests for his comments.