Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday approved a ₹1,530 crore budget for the Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority (NMRDA), clearing big-ticket projects, in the run-up to the Assembly elections. He attended back-to-back meetings of a high-powered committee and the NMRDA in Mumbai.
The Opposition, however, claimed all that Nagpur needs is better drinking water and sewage facilities. It alleged that untreated effluent is being dumped into the Gosikhurd irrigation project while the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has become bankrupt in the absence of adequate government support.
“The CM is from this city but has not even managed to provide clean drinking water and drainage facilities to the people in the last five years,” Congress leader from Vidarbha and Nagpur MLA Sunil Kedar said.
“What is the use of all these grand announcements then? Not even a single person has got a home under the Pradhan Mantri Gharkool Yojna so far, and the government is promising the moon,” Mr. Kedar said.
At the committee meeting, Mr. Fadnavis accorded approval to several development works, including construction of a Dragon Palace Temple at Kamptee in Nagpur.
At the fifth meeting of the NMRDA, ₹114 crore for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Convention Centre at Indora and ₹100 crore for Futala beautification and a sound-light show at Swami Vivekananda statue, Ambazari, were approved. Several statues and monuments were also approved, which included the development of Deeksha Bhumi, development of Tajbag, and a ₹41-crore fund for Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar memorial, Chicholi.
Ministers present in the meeting said the CM also approved a policy for an online draw for housing under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, setting aside 11% units for SC, 6% for ST, 5% for Divyang, 2% for Nagpur Improvement Trust (NIT) employees, and another 5% for government employees.
Sources said the CM directed faster completion of the merger of the NIT with the NMC, giving directions to the former to hand over assets and development funds for specific projects to the latter. “So far, about 400 layouts have been handed over to the corporation by the NIT. The CM told us to complete the rest of the works soon,” an official, who was present in the meeting, said.
Vidarbha and Nagpur — considered to be the command centre of the BJP — have been receiving special attention from the government since the party came to power five years ago. Mr. Fadnavis had recently announced in the Assembly that the last five years has seen the pace of work in the regions double as opposed to what was carried out in the 15-year rule of the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party.
