Don't shift WR HQ to Gujarat, Sena MP urges

The Shiv Sena Saturday opposed demands from some quarters to shift the Western Railway headquarters from Mumbai to Ahmedabad.

In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Shiv Sena Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut urged him to ensure the WR headquarters is not shifted to Gujarat as it would be "insult to the 105 martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement."

"Moves are underway to shift the WR headquarters from Mumbai to Ahmedabad. Some MPs from Gujarat had demanded this. This is a conspiracy to weaken Maharashtra by shifting establishments under the centre's domain," Raut said.

He pointed out that three departments of the Reserve Bank of India have been shifted to New Delhi and important bulk traffic in the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust has been diverted to Gujarat, while earlier Air India headquarters was shifted to the national capital.

A few weeks ago, senior Congress leader Narayan Rane had expressed concerns over the plans to reduce Mumbai's commercial importance by shifting major departments and offices to Gujarat or New Delhi.

Raut added out that these major central institutions provide the financial muscle to Mumbai and shifting them would render the country's commercial capital weak, besides other effects.

The issue of shifting the WR HQ cropped up after Bharatiya Janata Party MP Kirit Solanki from Ahmedabad made the demand in Lok Sabha raising the Sena's hackles.

Political leaders have pointed out that the coastal security training centre which was proposed to come up in Palghar, Maharashtra, has reportedly been diverted to Gujarat.