MUMBAI, Jan. 12 -- Amid much anticipation, and jibes from the opposition, the Mahayuti alliance on Sunday unveiled its manifesto at the Mumbai Cricket Association, with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde leading the launch in the presence of senior BJP, Shiv Sena and RPI leaders. The manifesto promises to solve almost every issue currently plaguing Mumbaikars from affordable housing and air pollution to the woes of the BEST public transport system, gaothans, mill workers and even pedestrians. The Mahayuti claims it will "bring back the Marathi manoos" exiled to the outskirts of the city and will strengthen Marathi culture. It also has a clutch of enticements lined up such as half-price travel for women on BEST buses, an interest-free loan of Rs.50 lakh for female entrepreneurs and an annual 8% water tax freeze for five years. Fadnavis also said that the government has developed a tool with the help of IIT Bombay to identify illegal Bangladesh nationals and Rohingyas. He said that with the help of it, these illegal immigrants will be deported to their countries. "We have been working on it for the last three months and its reliability has proven to be 60%. In the next six months, it will be fool-proof and in a position to use. We have also set up a detention centre to detain them before deportation," he said. Claiming that its track record in implementing manifestos was better than that of the opposition, and dubbing the undivided Shiv Sena's 25-year rule in the BMC "full of corruption", the Mahayuti leaders promised a better transport system, corruption-free and speedy approvals to building proposals, safeguarding of the environment, and upgraded Marathi-medium schools among other things. The CM said that the government had prepared a climate action plan for the 'circular economy' under Tata Sons chief N Chandrasekaran, which was being firmed up by BMC officers and experts. "The Rs.17,000-crore plan will touch upon all major sectors and parameters, including air and water quality standards," he said. The manifesto is gung-ho on the subject of public transport. The fleet of the beleaguered BEST transport system, which is struggling to stay afloat and was recently advised by Fadnavis to find its own non-fare revenue by leasing out its bus depots, is to be upgraded to 12,000 buses from the present 5,000. "Closed-door air-conditioned locals will be launched on suburban routes in a phased manner without increasing the fare," he added. "On the water transport front, 21 jetties are being constructed in coastal areas. The aim is to have water transport such as water taxis and RORO services covering 200 nautical miles. We also plan to add 50 km of metro lines in 2026-27, another 80 km in 2027-28 and complete all the ongoing metro projects by 2029." The CM said that steps were being taken to reduce human intervention in building proposal sanctions to reduce the corruption in the BMC's building proposals department. "An artificial intelligence-based tool, which is under progress, will be linked to the Development Plan to ensure automatic sanctions and application of the concessions applicable to housing projects," he said. Shinde, who also controls the housing portfolio, announced the construction of 3.5 million affordable houses in the city by redeveloping chawls, slums and dilapidated buildings in the next five years. "We have approved 17 cluster projects, including Cheeta Camp and Ketaki Pada to make Mumbai slum-free," he said. The Shiv Sena chief declared that the move was "a step towards fulfilling Bal Thackeray's dream". The late Shiv Sena chief in the 1990s had made an electoral promise to construct four million free houses for Mumbai's slum dwellers, which remained a pipe dream. Shinde is, however, confident that 3.5 million housing units can be constructed in five years. One of the central concerns flagged in the manifesto is the migration of original Mumbaikars to city outskirts such as Vasai-Virar, Nalasopara and Badlapur due to unaffordable housing and stalled redevelopment. Shinde claimed that the 3.5 million houses would be constructed and redevelopment speeded up to "ensure that the Marathi manoos is not thrown out of the city". "Our aim is to respectfully bring them back," he said. The deputy CM also asserted that the manifesto would safeguard the safety, welfare, language and culture of the Marathi manoos. The manifesto claims that a dedicated Marathi language department will be set up within the BMC to promote and strengthen the use of Marathi. School curricula too will be "enriched" with dedicated lessons on Mumbai's Marathi history and the sacrifices of the martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. Other key assurances in the manifesto include the revival of stalled Slum Rehabilitation Authority projects and the issuance of Occupation Certificates to 20,000 buildings within a year to provide long-pending legal relief to citizens. Addressing the long-pending issue of mill workers' housing, Shinde said that 12,000 mill workers had already received homes, while 1,50,000 were still awaiting their allotments. "Providing rightful and affordable homes is our priority so that no Mumbaikar is forced to leave the city," he said. Shinde also outlined plans to strengthen Mumbai's economic profile, stating that the Centre and state shared the vision of making Mumbai a fintech capital within five years. Bandra-Kurla Complex, he said, would be developed as an international financial services centre. For traditional communities, Shinde announced that separate Development Control Regulations would be introduced for koliwadas and gaothans, with residents consulted before any redevelopment decisions are taken. He assured that there would be no roadblocks to redevelopment, whether under SRA, MHADA cessed or non-cessed dilapidated buildings. The deputy CM announced that the annual 8% increase in water tax had been frozen for the next five years. Long-delayed sewage treatment plant projects which have led to untreated sewage flowing into the sea, he said, would be completed within 18 months. The Opposition was quick to slam the ruling combine's manifesto. Mumbai Congress president Varsha Gaikwad said the manifesto was a "bundle of false promises". She accused the ruling dispensation of large-scale corruption and mismanagement in the BMC. "The ruling alliance will not honour a single promise made in its manifesto. Deposits worth nearly Rs.90,000 crore belonging to the BMC have been misused, prime land parcels in Mumbai have been handed over to favoured industrialists, and public services have been weakened," she said....