CM inaugurates slew of projects in Navi Mumbai worth over ₹6,100 cr

Shinde also claimed that investments in Maharashtra had touched an all-time high and the Mumbai metropolitan region alone would achieve the 1-trillion-dollar economy target set for Maharashtra by prime minister Narendra Modi

NAVI MUMBAI: Ahead of the enforcement of the model code of conduct from Saturday, chief minister Eknath Shinde on Friday inaugurated/ laid the foundation stone for a slew of projects in Navi Mumbai worth over ₹6,100 crore via videoconferencing. Implemented by the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) and CIDCO, the projects are expected to boost infrastructure, civic amenities and employment opportunities in the satellite city in a major way. Shinde also claimed that investments in Maharashtra had touched an all-time high and the Mumbai metropolitan region alone would achieve the 1-trillion-dollar economy target set for Maharashtra by prime minister Narendra Modi.

Thane, India - November 07, 2022: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde speaks during the Konkan Festival event, at Savarkar Nagar, Wagle Estate, in Thane, Mumbai, India, on Monday, November 07, 2022. (Praful Gangurde/ HT Photo) (HT PHOTO)

“The projects are all as per the need of the people, covering every aspect. I wanted to come and personally inaugurate them but there is paucity of time due to the code of conduct,” Shinde in an address that was telecast live on social media for Navi Mumbai residents.

“Navi Mumbai is the horsepower of Maharashtra’s growth engine,” he said, flanked by prominent leaders and officials including city MLAs Ganesh Naik, Manda Mhatre, Prashant Thakur and Mahesh Baldi, State Environment Impact Assessment Authority chairman and Shiv Sena leader Vijay Nahata, CIDCO vice chairman and managing director Vijay Singhal and municipal commissioner Rajesh Narvekar.

“The recently inaugurated Atal Setu which has brought Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Raigad closer is a game changer. The airport too will be ready next year. Road and water transport connectivity is being upgraded and we are ensuring environment-friendly development in the region,” said Shinde.

The chief minister inaugurated/ laid the foundation stone for 30 NMMC projects worth ₹1,129 crore and five CIDCO projects worth ₹5,000 crore.

NMMC projects inaugurated by Shinde included the Ghansoli-Airoli creek bridge, CCTV network with a command centre, schools, urban health posts, fire stations, libraries, senior citizen care centres and ward offices. Projects for which foundation stones he laid the foundation stone included the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj memorial and equestrian statue and the Amrut 2.0 scheme.

As regards CIDCO projects, Shinde laid the foundation stone for a bridge connecting the Mumbai-Pune expressway with the Navi Mumbai international airport, a link road between Kharghar and Turbhe and the Uran coastal road. He also commissioned a passenger water transport terminal at Nerul and a Bhumiputra Bhavan in Ulwe, which he said would be named after the late DB Patil as per the demands of locals.

“Record investments are coming into the state even as some are claiming that industries are going out. We have provided security to businesses. No longer are bombs placed near the houses of industrialists,” he said, claiming Maharashtra would become a 1-trillion-dollar economy to fulfill prime minister Narendra Modi’s goal of making India the third largest economy in the world.

“The economic advisory council we formed to achieve the target has stated that the Mumbai metropolitan region alone has the potential to achieve the target for the state,” he said.

Congratulating NMMC and CIDCO, he noted, “We are confident that Modi will once again be the Prime Minister. He will come to Navi Mumbai to inaugurate the new international airport next year. Navi Mumbai development is taking off big time now.”

Speaking before Shinde, NMMC commissioner Rajesh Narvekar said projects worth over ₹6,000 crore were underway in the city, including special infrastructure projects worth ₹900 crore, civic projects at the ward level worth ₹850 crore and amenity works worth ₹1,400 crore.

“The projects address education, health, water supply, sewage treatment, transportation, security, senior citizens’ welfare and cultural promotion. We are working towards all round development of the city,” he said.

CIDCO MD Vijay Singhal too claimed the projects inaugurated by the chief minister would provide a major boost to connectivity and employment opportunities.

“The 5.54-km long Kharghar-Turbhe link road will connect Turbhe with the international corporate park in Kharghar at a cost of ₹2,100 crore. It will have four lanes in each direction and two tunnels and will be completed in 60 months, by December 31, 2028,” said Singhal.