Maharashtra: Rejected a yr in the past, dam initiatives price Rs 2,989 crore authorized

The Uddhav Thackeray-led Maha Vikas Aghadi authorities on Wednesday cleared 4 irrigation proposals price Rs 2,989 crore.
Questions are being raised over the newest approval because the Thackeray authorities had final yr reversed approvals sanctioned by the earlier Devendra Fadnavis authorities to those very initiatives.
The Cabinet Wednesday granted revised administrative approval to the Upper Tapi dam venture, the Shelgaon Barrage medium irrigation venture and a elevate irrigation scheme – all in Jalgaon district – totalling Rs 2,365 crore. It additionally granted the state water assets division permission to drift tenders for the second and third part of a venture to rehabilitate the dam affected.
On September 9, 2019, simply forward of the Assembly polls within the state, the Devendra Fadnavis Cabinet had additionally cleared all of the 4 proposals.
After taking up the reins within the state final November, the Thackeray authorities had reversed the earlier authorities’s choice. Now, a yr later, the identical initiatives have been cleared.
This is the fourth revised administrative approval granted to the Tapi venture, which has been beneath works since 1963, as a Rs 12-crore venture. Owing to delays and improve within the scope of the work, the venture price has now risen 44 occasions to Rs 536 crore. Similarly, the price of the Shelgaon Barrage has risen from Rs 130 crore in 1997-98 to Rs 968 crore, whereas the Bhusawal Lift Irrigation scheme’s price has gone up from Rs 223 crore to Rs 861 crore. In the Cabinet assembly, some ministers demanded a overview on the escalation of price, however Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar insisted on an pressing nod to keep away from additional price overruns. Water Resources Minister Jayant Patil was not current throughout Wednesday’s assembly.

Pawar additionally indicated that the water assets division will desk some extra proposals, equally reversed final yr, for re-approval within the upcoming Cabinet conferences.
After a piece of ministers sought a coverage for such approvals on account of the money disaster confronted by the federal government, Pawar mentioned that in the interim, revised approvals will solely be thought-about for final mile initiatives nearing completion.