Nation requires many cos like L&T to build itself: Fadnavis

India requires many companies like engineering and construction major L&T to build itself, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said.
He said to create infrastructure for growth, the country has to depend on foreign expertise, but it needs its own nation builders.
"If we really want to build our nation, this is the time that we can do it with our visionary Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The amount of infrastructure we would be creating in this country has never been thought of," he said.
Fadnavis was speaking at the launch of "The Nationalist", a biography of A M Naik, chairman of L&T.

Emphasising on the need for creating nation builders, Fadnavis said, "But I also see that to build these (infra projects), we have to depend more on Korean, Japanese, Chinese, US companies.
"I think you have the capabilities but if you really have to leapfrog to a USD 7 trillion economy which Mukesh bhai (Reliance chairman Mukesh Ambani) has spoken about (earlier in the programme), we require many nation builders. We should create nation builders."

The chief minister requested Naik, whose company is associated with a slew of mega projects, to help in building world-class companies.
"I would like to request Mr Naik to use his expertise to make budding companies into experts. As a nationalist you have to look into the interest of the nation and this nation requires many such companies to build itself," he said.

Fadnavis took a swipe at China for its "jugglery" to hold onto the record of having the world's tallest statue.
"As of now, L&T is building the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, which at 182 metres, would be one of the tallest statues.
"It would have been taller than the tallest statue in China. However, the Chinese did a sort of 'jugglery'. The tallest statue in China was made of stone. In order to make it taller, they started carving stone downwards," Fadnavis said.
He said L&T would also be making the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, which at 210 metres, would be the world's tallest statue.

Pointing to another record for the engineering firm, Fadnavis said L&T would be part of the construction of the 22- km Mumbai Trans Harbour Link, connecting Mumbai to Navi Mumbai.
This link, Fadnavis said, would be the longest sea- bridge ever built in India.