Fadnavis announces Rs 49,248-cr development plan for Marathwada

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday announced a Rs 49,248 crore development 'package' for Marathwada region, under which important projects, including irrigation and infrastructure, will be completed in a time-bound manner.

"Funds have been allocated for these projects and these will be completed within four years," Fadnavis said, after a meeting of the state Cabinet in Aurangabad.

This is the first time in eight years that the state Cabinet meeting was held at Aurangabad. The region, which was reeling under drought till recently, has witnessed heavy rains in the last few days, leading to crop damage and loss of life and property.

Under the plan announced by the Chief Minister, Rs 9,291 crore will be spent on irrigation, Rs 5,326 crore on railway network in the region, Rs 3,000 crore for road projects, Rs 250 crore for airport expansion, Rs 450 crore for micro-irrigation, and Rs 1,885 crore for water conservation works.

Funds for these projects will be raised through bonds, Fadnavis said.

He assured people of Marathwada region that train service to Beed will commence in 2018. A Bal Thackeray memorial will be set up in Aurangabad.

A rural development institute, named after late Gopinath Munde, former Union rural development minister, will be set up in Aurangabad, Fadnavis said, adding efforts will be made to get UNESCO heritage tag for the historic Aurangabad city.

The procedure of completing 'panchnama' to assess damage will be bypassed for areas which have witnessed heavy rains so that farmers get compensation for crop damage quickly, he said.