Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said additional funds of Rs 30,000 crore have been set aside in the Union Budget for infrastructure and rail network to boost coastal connectivity in the State. This allocation comes after Railways Minister Suresh Prabhu announced better connectivity to new ports like Jaigarh, Dighi and Hazira.
Fadnavis said the State government has already created a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the development of two ports: Jaigarh and Dighi.
“The work for developing Jaigarh is likely to start in the next three years. We have already appointed IL&FS as consultants for the same. The two ports will soon be connected to a rail network and better roads to connect with the hinterland,” Fadnavis said during a private interaction after the Union Budget was presented by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in New Delhi.
Industry experts said Maharashtra lags behind Gujarat, which has all four of its major ports connected to the hinterland, whereas connectivity between ports in Maharashtra has been poor. Several industrial bodies have demanded better allocation of funds for infrastructure improvement.
Fadnavis said Maharashtra is expected to get a larger chunk of the Rs 30,000 crore set aside for rail and road infrastructure works. “For some schemes and projects, we took an advance from the Centre and that led to a few hurdles. With this new allocation, we expect to get more money.”
