Fadnavis announces Mumbai–Hyderabad expressway, metro expansion, power tariff cuts

Fadnavis said the government was focused on accelerating connectivity, improving urban mobility and easing the cost burden on citizens

NAGPUR: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday unveiled a series of infrastructure, transport and governance initiatives, including a new Mumbai–Hyderabad expressway, a major expansion of Mumbai’s Metro network, annual reductions in domestic electricity tariffs, and the creation of a new business district in Nagpur.

Mumbai, India - June 29, 2023: Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis interacts during his interview at Sagar Bunglow, in Mumbai, India, on Thursday, June 29, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Hindustan Times)

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Replying to the concluding week debate on the final day of the Maharashtra legislature’s winter session, Fadnavis said the government was focused on accelerating connectivity, improving urban mobility, strengthening law enforcement and easing the cost burden on citizens.

He announced the Jankalyan Expressway, a 450-km access-controlled corridor between Mumbai and Hyderabad via Kalyan and Latur, at an estimated cost of ₹36,000 crore. The project will reduce the Mumbai–Hyderabad distance from the current 707–717 km to about 530 km and cut travel time between Mumbai and Latur to around four-and-a-half hours. The expressway will pass through Thane, Pune, Ahilyanagar, Beed and Latur districts, and will also bring down travel time between Mumbai and Badlapur to about 35 minutes through connectivity with Atal Setu and a proposed Badlapur tunnel.

On urban transport, the chief minister said Mumbai currently has a 91-km operational Metro network with a daily ridership of about 9.5 lakh commuters. This will be expanded to 132 km over the next two years, with at least 50 km of Metro corridors planned to be made operational every year. He said Pune has 33 km of Metro lines in service, while Nagpur has 40 km operational.

Addressing concerns over law and order, Fadnavis said overall crime in the state had declined, even though certain categories required sustained attention. He acknowledged that between January and October, rape cases had increased by 375 compared to the same period in 2024, but said total crime cases had fallen by 7,711 during the same period.

The chief minister claimed a sharp improvement in conviction rates, stating that the rate had risen from 9% earlier to 96.24%, and stood at over 70% even when only serious offences such as murder and dacoity were considered. He attributed this to the three new criminal laws enacted by the Centre last year, which limit adjournments and mandate faster trials.

Fadnavis said police response time to emergency calls on dial 112 had reduced to an average of 7.37 minutes from about 15 minutes earlier. In cases related to crimes against women, 99% of complaints were being converted into FIRs, and charge sheets had been filed in 87% of such cases between January and October. He added that 98.5–99% of cases involving missing children and girls had been traced.

Rejecting opposition claims on deteriorating safety in Mumbai, Fadnavis said the city remained safe and asserted that there were no active kidnapping gangs operating in the metropolis.

Highlighting cybercrime enforcement, he said the Mahacyber headquarters in Mumbai had emerged as a state-of-the-art unit that had cracked down on fake calls, cyber fraud and so-called “digital arrest” scams. The unit, he said, had prevented at least 100 suicides and provided support to victims of sextortion, adding that several states and two countries had sought Maharashtra’s assistance to replicate the model.

On energy and regional development, the chief minister announced that electricity tariffs for domestic consumers would be reduced by 2% every year for the next five years. He said this was unprecedented, as power tariffs had earlier risen by around 9% annually.

Fadnavis also said a state-of-the-art air training centre was being set up in Amravati with Air India’s support, with 34 aircraft and 14 Piper aircraft to operate from the district. He announced the development of ‘Navin Nagpur’, a new business district spread over 1,710 hectares on the lines of Mumbai’s Bandra-Kurla Complex and Pune’s Hinjewadi, which is expected to generate over 500,000 jobs.