Day after Mahayuti victory, Maha cabinet okays infra projects, extends Atal Setu EV toll waiver

Mumbai: The Maharashtra cabinet on Saturday extended toll relief extension for electric vehicles at Atal Setu by another year and cleared a slew of decisions related to infrastructure and urban transport, a day after the BJP-led Mahayuti scored a decisive victory in the civic polls.

The cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, also okayed the revised cost and the state's share for the Mumbai Urban Transport Project (MUTP-2), aimed at improving suburban rail and urban mobility infrastructure.

It also waived the premium for a plot allotted at Ulwe in Navi Mumbai to the Tirupati Devasthanam for the construction of the Padmavati Devi temple.

The cabinet cleared the restructuring of 1,901 posts in the Directorate of Economics and Statistics and approved renaming it as the Commissionerate of Economics and Statistics.

Revised staffing patterns were also approved for district planning committees, divisional commissioner offices, and special development programmes, according to an official statement.

In a relief to commuters, toll concession on the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Shivdi-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu was extended for another year.

Under the PM e-Drive scheme, the Council of Ministers approved a direct payment mechanism for the procurement of 1,000 electric buses for Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal.

Payments will be made through direct debit mandates from Pune and Pimpri-Chinchwad municipal corporations to the concerned companies, according to the statement.

To promote agricultural exports, the government cleared the establishment of a multi-modal hub and terminal market for fruits and vegetables at Bapgaon in Thane district.

About 7.96 hectares of land will be provided to the State Agricultural Marketing Corporation for facilities, including vapour heat treatment, irradiation, packaging, and cold storage.

The cabinet also green-lighted the Bembla river project in Yavatmal district for Rs 4,775 crore, which will bring 52,423 hectares of land in five talukas under irrigation. The rehabilitation issue of Dhamak village in Amravati district was also resolved.

In a major housing initiative, the cabinet approved the Mumbai Police Housing Township project, under which 45,000 houses will be built for police officers and staff in Mumbai city and suburbs.

Other approvals include the setting up of the Maharashtra Agency for Holistic International Mobility and Advancements (MAHIMA) to help skilled youth access overseas job opportunities through coordinated training and placement support.

A land parcel in Panvel (West) will be allotted to the Annasaheb Patil Backward Class Development Corporation for the construction of its headquarters and a multi-purpose building, the statement said.