‘Name Mahamarg after Jijabai’

Mumbai: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Sun-day demanded that the S-amruddhi Mahamarg be named after Rajmata Jijabai, the mother of Maratha emperor Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. The Shiv Sena, however, has already demanded t-hat the expressway, also known as the Mumbai-Nagpur Super Commu-nication Expressway, be named after its founder Balasaheb Thackeray.

The Mahamarg, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis’ pet project, is worth Rs 49,250 crore and will be 700 kilometres long and will pass through 392 villages spread over 11 districts.

While addressing the Niradhar Parivartan Yatra — a campaign covering all the 23 Lok Sabha constituencies that the party plans to contest — in Buldhana district on Sunday, former deputy chief minister and senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar said that if the expressway was not named after Rajamata Jijabai, the people of the state would dethrone the BJP-Shiv Sena government in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections. He added that if the Democratic Front comes to power, it would name the expressway after Rajamata Jijabai.

Mr Pawar said that the capacity of the state Cabinet is 43 ministers. However, the government has only 39 ministers at present. “What does the government want to prove by keeping these posts vacant,” he asked.

Attacking the BJP, the NCP leader said that there are no representative in this government from the Muslim, Kunbi and Mali communities. Shivaji Maharaj’s Cabinet had comprised eight ministers who represented all castes, so why did they (the government) not follow his thoughts if they seek his blessings, Mr Pawar asked.

Raising the issue of the contaminated water in Buldhana, he said that the people of Kharpan (saline) region had been forced to drink contaminated water owing to which they often fall sick with the different types of serious ailments. “Taking serious note of this, I followed up with the water supply department for clean water for 140 villages,” he added. Tankers are needed in a large quantity, but the power to approve them is with collector instead of the tehsildar.