In a groundbreaking move toward citizen-centric governance, Municipal Commissioner Mr. Rajesh Narvekar has launched the 'My City My Budget' initiative, aiming to involve Navi Mumbai residents in the upcoming budget preparation for the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC). Since there are no public representatives at the corporation, there has been a demand for public participation in the budget preparation. Sudhir Dani, Founder of Alert Citizen Forum says that they had demanded in the previous budget to consider suggestions of common citizens. “The whole city is plagued with roadside and illegal parking. A large number of parking lots are being run illegally,” said Dani, adding that NMMC should bring a policy to encourage parking inside the building premises. “The civic body should formulate a policy for parking like gardens and open space,” said Dani.Meanwhile, NMMC claims that it has always been committed to providing high-quality civic services and facilities. “The civic chief Narvekar believes that citizens should play a pivotal role in shaping the city's future,” said a senior civic official involved in budget planning. He added that the 'My City My Budget' campaign is a testament to this vision, encouraging residents to contribute their ideas and suggestions for the development of Navi Mumbai. Citizens have been urged to participate in the campaign by submitting their feedback and suggestions through various channels. A dedicated link has been created on the NMMC website www.nmmc.gov.in for citizens to register their views section-wise. Additionally, feedback in PDF format can be sent via email to cafo@nmmc.gov.in . For those preferring written submissions, suggestions can be mailed to the NMMC Headquarters, marking the envelope 'My City, My Budget' along with the relevant department's name. The feedback submission period is set from December 1 to December 15, 2023. “Citizens are requested to keep their submissions within a maximum limit of 1000 words, providing insights section-wise and detailing how the implementation of their suggestions can contribute to the city's developmental growth and overall improvement,” said the official.Dharmesh Barai, founder of Environment Life Foundation who has been cleaning mangroves for the past three years without any pause says that the civic body should pay attention to ground realities instead of cosmetic changes. “NMMC has been spending crores of rupees on Swachh Bharat. Unfortunately, public money is wasted in the name of painting walls and installing fountains across the city,” said Barai, adding that the corporation failed to check plastic usages in the city. “The civic body itself uses plastic bottles in its functions,” he claimed.B N Kumar, Director of NatConnect Foundation echoes in the same manner. He says that a city is more than the concrete jungle that it is made of and NMMC must ensure ease of living by ensuring a clean, healthy environment beyond Swachh Bharat. Swachha Bharat is again more than just cleaning up the main roads, Kumar pointed out, calling for taking decisive steps for a healthy environment. Automobile and dust pollution contribute to the worsening air quality index. Though checking automobile emission is strictly not the civic body's responsibility, it must work with the RTA and the police, he said. NMMC needs to keep a strict vigil on construction sites and dumping of debris along the roads and the highways by reinforcing its flying squads, Kumar said. The city's green cover is way below the norms set by the Centre. NMMC must fight out to gain control of all open spaces from CIDCO to increase the green cover, he said. Above all, NMMC needs to have a comprehensive environment policy for which it needs to work with the citizen groups, Kumar said and said NatConnect is ever willing to work with NMMC on environmental issues. However, the municipal commissioner Narvekar emphasized the importance of citizen engagement, stating that every resident should take pride in their city. "The campaign 'My City My Budget' provides a platform for citizens to actively participate in making Navi Mumbai more beautiful and modern," he said. The received suggestions and feedback will be meticulously reviewed by the concerned departments, and the most impactful recommendations will be considered for inclusion in the upcoming budget. This innovative approach aligns with Commissioner Narvekar's overarching goal of ensuring Navi Mumbai becomes the best possible place to live.