India, Jan. 28 -- In November 2024, the Hitendra Thakur-led Bahujan Vikas Aghadi (BVA) was left red-faced after losing the three assembly seats it had in the Vasai-Virar region to the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Mahayuti alliance. Fourteen months after that crushing defeat, the BVA asserted its control over the region, winning 71 of the 115 seats in the Vasai-Virar City Municipal Corporation. The civic body governs 311 sq km of the Vasai-Virar belt, which is separated from Mumbai and Mira-Bhayandar by the Vasai Creek. It is home to an estimated population of 1.98 million people, including a sizable number that forms Mumbai's workforce. While Thakur, now 64, has dominated the region's politics since the 1990s, his party workers see his resurgence in the corporation as a defining moment in his political journey. Catching his breath after a hectic election season, Thakur discussed his plans for the development of Vasai-Virar with Megha Sood. During the last Vidhan Sabha election, my party workers were overconfident, which turned out to be very expensive for us. This time, after learning our lesson, we pulled up our socks. We made sure that all our karyakartas were on the ground and connected to each housing society and their area. They tried to understand people's problems and be there for them. Being approachable is the key to good governance, which I will continue to be. My priority for the region is to restart the work on the Achole municipal hospital, which has been stuck [at the state government level] for years in the BJP government's regime. The land acquisition process has already been completed with an allocated budget of Rs.25 crore, yet the hospital is not operational. The second issue that needs immediate attention is the construction of the four road over-bridges (ROBs) to ease bottlenecks, which were sanctioned on June 8, 2024, but work has not even begun. Two ROBs have also already been sanctioned with an allocation of Rs.563 crore, but work should be initiated and completed without delay. Incomplete infrastructure projects only aggravate commuter frustration and economic losses. Pothole-ridden roads are a recurring symbol of Vasai-Virar's civic issues, especially during the monsoon season. This has led to increased health hazards for the citizens. Equal importance should be given to internal roads that connect the region to highways. They have been completely neglected, and their condition is pathetic. Well-maintained roads improve not just travel time, but also public safety and quality of life. The proposal for a ring road to link Naigaon, Vasai, Nalasopara and Virar has also been sanctioned. We are also going to ensure the region does not face water scarcity, anticipating population growth. At present, we get 420 MLD (million litres per day) of drinking water, which we plan to double in the next few years by widening the pipelines and laying the groundwork. Work on four power substations aimed at providing uninterrupted electricity supply to the region will also begin. Three years ago, there used to be waterlogging for a day only when heavy rainfall coincided with high tide. But now, due to mismanagement (VVCMC was under the state government's control since 2020), it continues for three to four days, causing trouble to residents. We will now set up a team to review the status and condition of the flood gates in the region and mend them at the earliest. Unauthorised construction remains one of the most controversial Vasai-Virar civic issues. All illegal constructions on government land must be demolished without political interference. At the same time, structures that are not inherently illegal but can be regularised should be processed quickly to provide legal security to residents. People move here not due to love for the region but for affordable housing. They invest their savings and later find out that the building was illegal. VVCMC officers have, in the past, turned a blind eye [to illegal construction]. They should have stopped work when it began, not when people started living in the buildings. We will undertake a survey of buildings and demolish the unauthorised ones. Every election, these allegations surface. I do not pay heed to them as long as my karyakartas are with me. Now, these allegations will surface again when the next election is announced. This decision will be taken only after I have a meeting with senior members of my party and our elected corporators....