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Indian Express
29-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Stretch from Mantralaya to Vidhan Bhawan to be developed as administrative district of state: CM Devendra Fadnavis
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the stretch from Mantralaya to Vidhan Bhawan encompassing ministerial bungalows will be developed as an administrative district of Maharashtra through a state-of-the-art development plan. Fadnavis said this at the Express Adda event held on Wednesday in Mumbai. He added that the design and development plans are already underway with an objective to create more space to accommodate administrative offices within the same premises. 'The Bombay High Court will be relocated to Bandra, but Mantralaya will remain in the same premises,' the chief minister said. However, he said, there are plans to make a new Mantralaya. 'All the bungalows of ministers and other structures between the Mantralaya and Vidhan Bhawan will undergo development and make the new administrative district of Maharashtra,' he said. The move is aimed at bringing all administrative offices, which are now scattered due to the lack of space and infrastructure, under one umbrella, he said. Fadnavis said that he is determined to take all the mega projects initiated during his first tenure as the chief minister to their logical end in the current tenure. The chief minister also said that Mumbai Metro projects criss-crossing through the city and its suburbs will change the mobility bringing huge relief to the Mumbaikars. With 70 lakh passenger capacity, it is almost parallel to Mumbai local trains which can carry 90 lakh passengers. The chief minister indicated that there are plans to make all local trains air-conditioned. The process of upgradation of local trains has led to better amenities to the commuters, he said. 'We have proposed to Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw for further enhancement of the local trains to bring it at par with Metro with the existing train fare,' Fadnavis said. On Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) city project, which is expected to be bigger than Mumbai, Fadnavis said, ' The detailed plans along with the process have already begun. Within NAINA, we plan an educational hub which entails collaboration with foreign universities. We will host the best foreign universities with ranking 50 to 100. Almost 12 foreign universities are likely to become a part of the hub. We have signed up with at least five best universities,' he said. According to Fadnavis, the Navi Mumbai airport will be completed in the next six months. The entire coastal road works will also be completed in the same tenure. 'The infrastructure driven development will not only help in connectivity and reduce travel time but also encourage people to switch to public transport. We are bringing integrated single ticket system which will allow people to use Metro, local train, bus or mono rail using the same ticket,' he said. According to the CM, the water taxi which is high on the government agenda will become a reality soon. Recalling how RoRo services was initiated during his first tenure, Fadnavis said the water taxi jetty work will be taken up near Radio Club. He lamented that there were some protests from South Mumbai residents. 'But gradually, once the Bombay Port Trust is developed, we will shift the water taxi infrastructure there,' he said. Fadnavis said that the land acquired for the coastal road stretch will be essentially preserved only for stated projects with environmental safeguards. 'We will not allow any real estate development on this claimed land,' he said, adding, 'The Race Course at Mahalaxmi will be preserved and not opened for any real estate development.'
Indian Express
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Devendra Fadnavis at Express Adda: ‘Corruption, in varying degrees, in existence… will fight it ruthlessly'
Emphasising his commitment to fight corruption 'ruthlessly', Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday outlined reforms undertaken by his government to bring more accountability and transparency. 'The issue of corruption, in varying degrees, has been in existence for long, but my government is committed to fight it ruthlessly… We will combat corruption firmly,' Fadnavis said at the Express Adda in Mumbai. Underlining his government's good governance agenda, he unfolded a decade-long plan for transformation of Mumbai and Maharashtra. All these reforms were being undertaken to bring administrative efficiency and root out complacency and corruption, he said. 'I will not allow any corruption in my government. If there is any corruption it will be dealt with firmly,' he said. Shortly after returning as CM last December, his government focussed on e-governance, including end-to-end digitisation, he said. Fadnavis also unveiled details of mega infrastructure projects, including upgradation of the suburban rail network, development of education and medical hubs at Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area (NAINA) city, and construction of another airport near Vadhavan port in Palghar. The Maharashtra CM was in conversation with Anant Goenka, Executive Director, The Indian Express Group, and Vandita Mishra, National Opinion Editor, The Indian Express. Responding to a question on the 'love jihad' issue, Fadnavis said: 'Initially, I, too, thought it was being exaggerated. But after a study, it came to light that there were many such instances in several districts… I am not against inter-caste or inter-faith marriages. But when girls are lured into marriages, exploited and dumped, it becomes a serious issue which cannot be overlooked.' He denied that these issues were an outcome of communal polarisation and vote-bank politics. Responding to another question, he said he had invoked 'nationalist forces' to effectively counter the role of 'anarchist forces' during the Lok Sabha elections. 'In a democracy, we are used to fighting political parties, not anarchist forces. I have said on the floor of the House that some organisations which were part of Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra were banned during (former Prime Minister) Manmohan Singh's tenure,' he said. Saying that help was sought from nationalist forces like the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), he said: 'Yes, RSS is a nationalist organisation. And there are others too.' On the Bombay High Court pulling up the police on Tuesday for the arrest of a 19-year-old student over a social media post during Operation Sindoor, Fadnavis said his government would follow court orders. 'But I want to state that when Operation Sindoor was underway, if someone writes against the Army, it naturally evokes strong sentiments. So, police took action accordingly. But if there is any excess action on our part, the courts reprimand… If we have erred, we will rectify,' he said. Fadnavis also listed some ambitious mega infrastructure projects — from the coastal road to airports, ports and Metro Railways. 'Navi Mumbai Airport will become operational from August. And within six months, the coastal road will be completed,' he said. On an underground Metro station in Mumbai being inundated with water earlier this week, Fadnavis said: 'Sixteen of the 17 Metro stations remained open. There were no problems in these. In only one station, the construction work on a wall was to be completed by June 10. Due to heavy rainfall, the water seeped in.' Saying that the work would be completed soon, he said: 'I promise that there will be no reason to complain.' The Express Adda is a series of informal interactions organised by The Indian Express Group and features those at the centre of change. Previous guests at the Adda include Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, philanthropist Bill Gates, actors Pankaj Tripathi and Tabu, oncologist and writer Siddhartha Mukherjee, musician T M Krishna, ecologist Romulus Whitaker and writer William Dalrymple.
