Yeh “Bajirao” Kaun hai…

This name comes to mine and most of the bureaucrats mind, as the man Friday of a very powerful man and his Private Secretary, of our state. Today this man is seen hobnobbing within the top IAS cadre, trying to be another Avinash Bhosale, claims to be close to the power centre, obviously after Ajay Ashar and Sachin Joshi, conducts meetings at Trident and even occasionally uses choppers to cover large/small destinations. His posters around Mantralaya on his birthday (January 9th) did raise a few eyebrows, mine eyes popped out when I decided to find out who he is, and wallah, he is another story of rags to riches using our money in no time!! BMC Iqbal Singh Chahal is under ED lens for his role he played for the purchases of materials including medical equipment and necessities during Covid, am sure everyone knows this. In fact it was CHahal who had said, that why only BMC commissioners, all IAS and Non-IAS officers who are/were heading municipal bodies and corporations in the MMR during Covid, should be investigated, which I totally agree with. In fact, I will go one step ahead and request the investigating agencies to conduct an inquiry of then Principal Secretary, Medical education Secretary, Public Health Secretary, the core team that handled covid, and the Minister too who had an active part in purchases during Covid. Chahal is right, why should he alone face the flak? Now coming to this Bajirao, before Covid he was an ordinary man hailing from the Beed district. But today, name any IAS, non-IAS of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, I have confirmed news that they swear by his name. What he did was nothing but trading. Nothing wrong, but he chose the wrong period that of Covid, hence the anger. Taking advantage of the Epidemic Act and blessings of his political master, this man understood the importance and need of time and hour, saw the gap, took a note of requirements and went out in the market and found the manufacturers or suppliers. That’s it!! It was then his rate, that included all officers cut, which he dictated to the councils and Corporations , took care of then COmmissioners, and became a supplier.  2 years ago, a nothing Bajirao is doing a turnover of Rs. 200 crores per annum today, I am told! Dear ED, on an immediate basis along with Chahal I feel inviting Bajirao, and his loyal IAS-Non-IAS officers during the pandemic who were the bosses, for a cup of tea should be very very interesting!! For more details, read “Tendernama”.

What is a median? It is a green strip that divides a highway or any road into 2 parts. Dear MSRDC, one of my friends was driving on the Samruddhi highway late at night a fortnight ago. He owns a high end car and obviously with no CCTV’s to capture (now you have vans) the speed in initial days he wanted to drive on high-speed. It so happened that he just couldn’t drive anything over 120kmph/- as at night the lights of cars coming from opposite directions were hitting his eye often causing a ‘blind spot’.  He quietly moved to the middle lane and drove safely. Now why this was happening, I tried to find out. The reason is the non-presence of a green belt or trees or planters on the entire Samruddhi highway in the middle of the road i.e. on the median, just the same way we have it on Mumbai-Pune expressway or Mumbai Bangalore highway. So if any company approaches for the tree plantation on the median, sirs of MSRDC, you all should immediately do the work as it might avoid a few accidents too. It will be a huge tender!! Another pointer my friend told me is the gap on the boundry walls of the highway. It so happens when the car is in full speed, there are dogs who run on the road through these gaps and are getting killed.

Yesterday was the most important day and event in Mumbai and for Mumbai. A pat on the back for the Police Department who handled the day with great discipline. Mumbai gets what it deserved, and cherry on the cake was it happened by the hands of PM Narendra Modi. Kudos to the entire MMRDA team including SVR Sriniwas and Metro Lady, Ashiwini Bhide. Credit to Ashish Shelar and Chandrashekhar Bawankule under the guidance of Fadnavis for organising everything so well. This Shinde/Fadnavis combo which is called the “double engine’ government will bring good days for the city, we are sure of. For the first time, CM SHinde did not read and speak during an address, and his tone and body language on the dias and even in the metro when the PM, CM and DCM were sharing a happy moment, seemed very very comfortable. I am YET guessing the third engine, which the CM addressed in his speech, will be a part of this double engine government, who it might be? Will it be the NCP or will it be the Uddhav group, or will it be the MNS, or will it be small factions of Congress, NCP and Uddhav Sena all together that will break and join BJP/Shinde, only time will tell.