The state budget, which was presented Friday by finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, offered no good news for Mumbai apart from a provision of Rs 90 crore for the Metro 3 project.
The state budget, which was presented Friday by finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, offered no good news for Mumbai apart from a provision of Rs 90 crore for the Metro 3 project. Instead, the state has chosen to focus on Jalgaon, Chandrapur and Nagpur districts, to which revenue minister Eknath Khadse, finance minister Sudhir Mungatiwar and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis belong by proposing infrastructure projects there. Earlier, the Congress-NCP government’s focus was on western Maharashtra, while the BJP-led government has shifted it to Vidarbha and north Maharashtra.
The government sanctioned Rs 180 crore for the Nagpur and Pune Metro rail, while Rs 90 crore has been given for the Mumbai Metro line phase 3, comprising Nariman Point and BKC complex and possessing links with the domestic and international airports.
Mumbai’s suburban area will have an elevated road connecting Bhiwandi, Kalyan and Shilphata and Rs 40 crore was sanctioned for the project.
The ambitious Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur project in Nagpur region was allotted Rs 216 crore in the budget. The government has given Rs 60 crore for the development of Shirdi, Karhad, Amaravati, Akola, Solapur and Chandrapur airports. A prominent forest training centre at Chandrapur has been transformed into the ‘Chandrapur Forest Administration Management and Development Academy’ for which Rs 5 crore has been assigned.
It has been proposed that the new government horticulture college at Jalgaon will be opened in 2016-17. Two veterinary colleges have been proposed at Jalgaon and Akola and they were allotted Rs 10 crore.
For the housing-for-all scheme announced last year, the government has sanctioned Rs 700 crore. The government is also going to implement the centrally sponsored scheme ‘Shelter For All 2022’ with the necessary modification as per the state’s requirement.
The government will focus on fast tracking the ‘New Chandrapur City’ project and the MHADA has been appointed as the special planning authority for the development plans related scheduled zone in this city, the minister said in the budget.
