MUMBAI, Apr 23: Expressing displeasure over the slow pace of infrastructure development in Maharashtra, former BJP chief Nitin Gadkari has asked Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to give necessary impetus to infrastructure growth in the state.
“Maharashtra, once the number one state in terms of industrial and infrastructure growth is lagging behind from last few years drastically on this account.”
“The indecisive attitude of the state government has affected the pace of infrastructure development in the state. The two big sectors affected are infrastructure and industry.” Gadkari said, in a letter to Chavan.
“When you took charge of the government two years ago, you had promised fast-track decisions in infrastructure projects. But not one of these mega projects, amounting to over Rs 550,000 crore, has moved.”
Citing news reports of political conflict between the Congress and the NCP, Gadkari said it is “appearing to have adversely affecting the smooth functioning of the administration in the state government.”
“Mumbai city is bearing the biggest brunt of this. Various major infrastructure development projects in Mumbai have been substantially delayed, facing huge cost overruns or have simply failed to even get started,” Gadkari alleged.
“Some projects that got delayed, like the Navi Mumbai airport and the coastal road have remained on paper in the past 24 months,” he added.
On delays in the monorail project and phase one of the metro rail project, Gadkari alleged that delay is because of issues related to illegal land encroachment and delays in getting permission from civic bodies and various authorities like railways.
Gadkari alleged that even projects which are not facing issues of illegal land encroachments have been delayed.
“A case in point is the much talked about Bandra-Worli sealink project, which was delayed for several years and cost escalated to Rs 1800 crore than the earlier estimate of Rs 420 crore, though it did not have any issue related to illegal encroachments,” he said.
The second phase of the sea link connecting Worli to Haji Ali has not even started, he said. The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority granted extension to the monorail project for the fifth time recently, he added.
The metro phase-I linking Versova to Ghatkopar faces the same problem of resettlement and rehabilitation of project affected families and delays in obtaining clearance from the ministry of environment and forests, he alleged.
“The project was awarded to Reliance Infrastructure in 2006. The project implementation of metro phase-II has not even started,” he said.
“The non-performance of state government is badly affecting the growth of Mumbai and Maharashtra,” Gadkari said.
During the BJP-Shiv Sena government in Maharashtra, the infrastructure was growing at a record pace, he said.
“I can say this with authority based on my experience as Minister in Maharashtra Government that if the Government has political will the results could be much better,” he said.
Gadkari claimed that there was a “huge wave of resentment and anger amongst people of Mumbai and Maharashtra who are suffering from lack of infrastructure.”
“India’s infrastructure sector has been in the doldrums for quite some time now because of huge delays in infrastructure projects. The situation is so grim that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a meeting to review the status of the beleaguered industry,” Gadkari said.
“The finance ministry estimates that infrastructure projects worth Rs 1.46 lakh crore have been delayed. Projects have been delayed largely on account of delays in obtaining regulatory clearances and delay in administrative approvals,” he added. (PTI)
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