Maharashtra cabinet gives nod to metro, road projects in Mumbai, Pune, Nagpur

Mumbai, Sep 3 (PTI) The Maharashtra cabinet on Wednesday gave approval to several big-ticket projects including Wadala-CSMT-Gateway of India metro line in Mumbai, officials said.

The other projects included a ring metro in Thane, Pune Metro's Line-2 and Line-4 extensions, and Nagpur Metro Phase-II.

The cabinet also sanctioned loans for these projects with the state assuming contingent liabilities, said a statement from the Chief Minister's Office.

In Pune, two new stations of Balajinagar and Bibwewadi were approved on Swargate-Katraj metro corridor along with the relocation of Katraj station, involving an additional outlay of Rs 683.11 crore.

The cabinet also cleared state participation in suburban rail expansion projects under Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP)- 3, 3A and 3B, besides approving funds for Pune-Lonavala suburban third and fourth lines.

Monthly assistance under the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana and Shravanbal scheme for persons with disabilities -- implemented by the Social Justice Department -- was increased by Rs 1,000 to Rs 2,500.

A policy for the use of fly-ash generated by thermal power plants of the state-run Mahagenco received clearance.

Amendments to the Maharashtra Shops and Establishments (Regulation of Employment and Conditions of Service) Act, 2017, and Factories Act, 1948, were also approved.

In the education sector, the government decided to implement the Centre's pre-matric scholarship scheme for Scheduled Tribes students of Classes 9 and 10, replacing the state-run Golden Jubilee Tribal Pre-Matric Scholarship.

The Metro Line-11 project (Wadala-CSMT-Gateway of India) in Mumbai with a budget of Rs 23,487.51 crore received the green light.

The state government's financial participation in the Pune-Lonavala suburban railway third and fourth line project was a long-pending issue, officials said.

The project, proposed by the Mumbai Railway Vikas Corporation (MRVC), entails a total cost of Rs 5,100 crore, including land acquisition expenses. The financial responsibility will be shared equally between the Central Government and the State Government, with Maharashtra's share being Rs 2,550 crore.

Of this amount, contributions from local bodies have been allocated as follows: Pune Municipal Corporation (20%) Rs 510 crore, Pimpri-Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (20%) Rs 510 crore, and Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) (30 %) Rs 765 crore. The remaining amount will be provided by the state government.

The decision is expected to ease the growing passenger load on the Pune-Lonavala suburban rail services.

In Thane, a new elevated corridor linking the city with the Navi Mumbai International Airport will be developed on a PPP basis through the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO).

Further, the government gave in-principle approval for developing an International Business and Finance Centre (IBFC) under the `New Nagpur' project by acquiring 692 hectares of land in Hingna taluka, Nagpur.

The Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority will also develop an outer ring road along with four truck and bus terminals.

The cabinet also sanctioned Rs 3,750 crore for the construction of a new High Court complex at Bandra (East), Mumbai, the CMO statement said. PTI MR KRK