‘Will send builders of illegal structures to jail’

Thackeray — who addressed rallies at Kondhwa Khurd and Yerawada — said his decision to support Narendra Modi was taken years ago when he travelled through Gujarat and saw the development there.

He said Maharashtra is among the fastest urbanising states in the country, but political leaders have failed to plan and manage the growth. “Cities like Pune, Mumbai, Thane and Nashik are urbanising fast. New towers are coming up everywhere. But there’s no planning. The builders and local representatives do not think much about from where they will get water and how the traffic will be managed. All they think of is making money. If the residents are not getting facilities, what is the use of staying in such buildings?” said Thackeray.

“I promise that if you elect MNS leaders from your constituencies, I will make sure that builders who cheat consumers by selling them flats in unauthorised buildings go behind bars.”

He said it is important for the city that the local MPs, MLAs and corporators work in tandem to resolve the problems.

At Kapre Mala, Thackeray’s rally was supposed to begin at 5 pm, but was delayed by three hours — apparently because of thin crowd. This was unusual for a Raj Thackeray rally, which usually attracts huge numbers. The organisers blamed the T20 World Cup final match. However, at 7.50 pm, when the venue was considerably full — thanks to special efforts of MNS workers — Thackeray came on stage and delivered his speech.