Maharashtra Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis presented the first budget of the newly formed Eknath Shinde-led government. Known to lay emphasis on infrastructure development, the deputy chief minister allocated Rs 53,058.55 crore for various projects under infrastructure development under the substantial capital investment head in the new budget, which he termed as the third budget. Nectar Of the five others in his speech document.
In this budget, he announced new highways to connect Maharashtra with other states, extension and expansion of old highways to connect more cities with the state’s big city centers, and new inland waterways to connect smaller cities with Mumbai. have proposed. With the help of the central government, the state is also planning to connect smaller towns and cities by rail to boost local businesses.
“As the country moves towards a $5-trillion economy, Maharashtra, too, has decided to contribute its share of $1 trillion and increase the state’s share in the national GDP from 14.2 per cent to 20 per cent. Our emphasis is on boosting infrastructure which will result in comprehensive development of the state,” Fadnavis said in his budget speech.
Fadnavis also proposed a new mega highway, which would be called the Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Expressway. It will connect the two remotest ends of the state – Vidarbha and Konkan. The feasibility report of this 760 km long expressway is being prepared and the name, Shaktipeeth, is self-explanatory as the highway will connect major temples Mahur, Tuljapur, Kolhapur and Ambajogai. This expressway will further connect two Jyotirlinga Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath; Takhat Sachkhand Hazur Sahib in Nanded; Vitthal Rakhumai, the ruling deity of Maharashtra at Pandharpur; Karanja Lad; Akkalkot; Gangapur; Narsobachi Wadi; and sycamore.
Passing through six districts of Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur and Dharashiv, this highway will give a strong boost to the economy of Marathwada region. The development of Wardha, Yavatmal, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts will also get a boost. The estimated cost of this project is Rs 86,300 crore.
To ease traffic congestion in Pune, the state government has allocated Rs 27,000 crore to build a ring road. Noting the need for a multimodal corridor that could connect multiple highways, ports, international airports and freight corridors, Fadnavis proposed a 126-km corridor from Virar to Alibaug. This will include bus rapid transit, metro rail, water supply, gas and sewage lines. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 40,000 crore and the work of preparing the detailed project report and financial plan is in progress.
New Metro projects have also been proposed to be taken up and Thane City Circular Metro Rail Project, Nashik Metro Neo-Rail Project, Pimpri-Chinchwad to Pune Metro’s Nigdi Corridor and Swargate to Katraj Metro Project have been sent for approval . Central government. After getting approval, work on these projects will start.
The government intends to speed up work on railway projects, which were shelved earlier, by adopting a policy of giving 50 per cent state share in rural and underdeveloped areas of the state. The Ahmednagar-Beed-Parli Vaijnath, Wardha-Yavatmal-Nanded, Wadsa-Desaiganj-Gadchiroli and Nagpur-Nagbhid projects are at various stages and the central government has approved the new Kalyan-Murbad railway line.
To promote tourism and establish connectivity with pilgrimage centers like Shirdi, the state government is planning to construct a new passenger terminal at Shirdi airport at a cost of Rs 527 crore. Keeping in view the convenience of commuters in Mumbai, Mumbai Metropolitan Region and Thane, the state government is developing a metro network of 337 km and a stretch of 46 km has been opened for traffic. Another 50 km stretch will become operational in 2023-24.
The new metro projects being taken up in Mumbai are: Mumbai Metro Line 10 from Gaymukh to Shivaji Chowk, Mira Road, with a total length of 9.2 km and an estimated cost of Rs 4,476 crore; Mumbai Metro Line 11 from Wadala to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus, total length 12.77 km and estimated cost of Rs 8,739 crore; Metro Line 12 from Kalyan to Taloja, total length 20.75 km and estimated cost of Rs 5,865 crore. The estimated dates of completion of these projects were not announced in the budget.
To connect smaller towns like Thane and Vasai to Mumbai by waterways, the state government has proposed a Rs 424-crore project. A project has been approved for construction of jetty and related facilities for passenger water transport at Radio Club near Gateway of India at an estimated cost of Rs 162.20 crore. It will facilitate passenger transport from South Mumbai to Kalyan, Dombivli, Thane, Vasai Creek and Navi Mumbai.
Fadnavis has made it clear that along with agricultural development, development of infrastructure is the need of the hour. This will help the state to generate more employment for the youth and attract more investments for further sustainable development.
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