Maharashtra cabinet clears Atal Setu toll relief, police housing township, irrigation project

Mumbai, Jan 17 (PTI) The Maharashtra cabinet on Saturday cleared 10 key proposals, including toll relief extension for electric vehicles on Atal Setu and a housing project for Mumbai police personnel, 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. Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar were not present at the meeting.

The Council of Ministers cleared the Mumbai Police Housing Township project to provide 40,000-45,000 government houses for police officers and staff in the metropolis and its suburbs.

The project, to be implemented through the Maharashtra State Infrastructure Development Corporation, will be developed over around 5 crore sq ft at an estimated cost of Rs 20,000 crore, with the state contributing 30 per cent of the funds.

The remaining 70 per cent will be raised through loans, and an initial amount of Rs 100 crore has been approved to start the project, said an official statement.

In a relief to commuters, the cabinet extended the 50 per cent toll concession on the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Shivdi-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu for another year till December 31, 2026. Electric vehicles and buses will continue to get full toll exemption.

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

The government also approved the Bembla river irrigation project in Yavatmal district at Rs 4,775 crore. The project will bring 58,768 hectares of land across five talukas under irrigation and also resolve the rehabilitation issue of Dhamak village in Amravati district, the statement said.

In an employment-related decision, the cabinet approved the setting up of the Maharashtra Agency for Holistic International Mobility and Advancements (MAHIMA) to help skilled youth access overseas job opportunities through coordination, training and placement support.

In another decision, the cabinet approved the restructuring of 1,901 posts in the Directorate of Economics and Statistics and renamed it as the Commissionerate of Economics and Statistics, it said.

Revised staffing patterns were also approved for district planning committees, divisional commissioner offices, and special development programmes.

The revised financial plan of Rs 8,087.11 crore for MUTP-2 was also cleared, along with adjustments of funds generated through suburban rail surcharge and commercial development of railway land.

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.

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, with an annual handling capacity of one lakh tonnes, in collaboration with the World Bank, the statement said.

A land parcel in Panvel (West) will be allotted to the Annasaheb Patil Backward Class Development Corporation at a nominal rate of Re 1 per sq metre for the construction of its headquarters and a multi-purpose building, it added. PTI MR NSK NR