Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jan 8 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday accused Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray and NCP (SP) head Sharad Pawar of opposing the Samruddhi
Expressway, and said the government finished the project in just four years.
Speaking during a talk show in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar ahead of the January 15 civic polls, he called the tie-up between the BJP and the Asaduddin Owaisi-led AIMIM in the Akot Municipal Council in Akola district an embarrassment.
The government faced several challenges in executing the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway project, but it overcame them and completed the work in four years, he said.
“Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar went to a village and told the people not to give even one inch of space for the project. But we gave five-fold compensation and acquired land there in a single day,” he said.
The CM said Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, the biggest city in the Marathwada region, will be connected to JNPT (Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust) in Navi Mumbai, as well as the upcoming Vadhvan port in Palghar district, through an extension of the Samruddhi highway.
The renaming of Aurangabad, which became Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, was an attempt to erase the marks of slavery, but not history, he said.
“Prayagraj is one such example. It was called Teerth Prayagraj for centuries before it came to be known as Allahabad. For the first time, we are going to elect the mayor of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and not Aurangabad,” he said.
Every political party is independently contesting the civic polls in the city, which has 115 electoral wards. The BJP has fielded 93 candidates, the Shiv Sena 96, Sena (UBT) 95, followed by NCP (75), Congress (71) and 11 seats by NCP(SP).
Referring to Maratha ruler Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, he said historical accounts written by the Mughals distorted his legacy. “Sambhaji Maharaj never lost a battle against Aurangzeb in nine years. Instead, Aurangzeb’s grave was dug here,” he claimed.
Highlighting industrial development in the region, the CM said the government has completed the work on the Delhi-Mumbai Industrial Corridor and the AURIC city.
“Earlier, some people would laugh at me when I told them that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar would be the next industrial magnet after Pune. But now we can see the results as Kirloskar, Ather and JSW Energy have invested here,” he said.
About the water shortage in the city, he said the testing of a 3,700 hp pump was conducted on Thursday.
“Within the next two months, the city will get additional water. We gave Rs 1,600 crore for this water project and also agreed to pay the 30 per cent share of the municipal corporation for the scheme,” he said, claiming that the erstwhile Uddhav Thackeray government had insisted that the civic body foot the 30 per cent cost.
Fadnavis, who is also the home minister, said that a city flourishes and attracts investors when it is peaceful. “We have acted against the people here who deliberately tried to disturb peace,” he said.
He said that the alliance between the BJP and AIMIM in Akot was an embarrassment. “We have severed the ties there immediately, and a notice seeking explanation from the local MLA has also been issued,” he said.
About tourism in the area, Fadnavis said Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar has a fort, Ghrishneshwar temple and the Ajanta and Ellora cave complex. “We have decided to include Mhaismal (hill station) in the plan. There will be a corridor around the Grishneshwar temple in the next 3-4 years,” he said.
Elections to 29 municipal corporations across Maharashtra, including the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar civic body, will be held on January 15, and votes will be counted the next day. PTI AW NR
