Chaitali Joshi
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar
The municipal corporation is set to elect the city’s 23rd mayor by the end of January. Since 1988, six general elections have taken place, and the seventh will be held on 15 January. Shila Gunjal became the city’s mayor in 1997. City first spoke to her about her tenure and her hopes from the new leadership.
“I served as mayor during 1997–98. During my tenure, several key initiatives were completed. The Maulana Azad Research Centre and Library was established, and the Swatantryaveer Savarkar Chowk and statue at Samarthnagar were inaugurated when Manohar Joshi was chief minister. These initiatives reflected my focus on education, history and public spaces.
— Employment was a priority, especially for women’s empowerment. Government employment schemes were implemented effectively, and nearly 1,200 temporary employees working on a contractual basis were made permanent during this period.
— When I speak of expectations from the upcoming mayor, water supply is my foremost concern. Currently, water is supplied once in eight days, causing severe hardship for households, particularly women. While some can afford water tankers, residents of slum areas cannot. Water should be supplied at least once every three days.
— Encroachment drives carried out during that period were necessary and effective. However, those who lost their homes should not be abandoned. They must be provided alternative space or housing and should not be left without support.
— Contract-based recruitment through third-party agencies in the municipal corporation must be stopped. A large portion of salaries goes to agencies instead of workers. Direct recruitment is essential for transparency, fairness and efficiency.
Along with these priorities, issues such as women’s safety, traffic management and pollution must also be addressed. Today, I remain a loyal worker of Shiv Sena (UBT) and will continue to work for the public as long as I am able.”
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