LIFE in cities had become unbearable due to a lack of development under the Congress’s rule as the party neglected civic issues for decades, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Monday. He said that people in urban centres suffered due to water scarcity, sewage, health issues, and pollution of water resources in the absence of development. Fadnavis campaigned for BJP candidates in the run-up to the January 15 municipal corporation elections and addressed rallies in Jalna, Nanded, and Parbhani in the Marathwada region.

 

“Previous governments in the country forgot the development of cities as they focused more on the development of villages and rural areas. But the Modi Government gave funds for urban development through various schemes, as a result of which the face of cities is changing now,” Fadnavis said in Nanded. The Chief Minister said unchecked migration from rural areas increased pressure on civic infrastructure, and Congress-led governments failed to address these challenges. Highlighting key Central and State Government initiatives, he said substantial funds have been allocated for drinking water projects and assured that Jalna’s water problems would be resolved. Citing an example of Nanded city, which houses major Sikh shrines, Fadnavis said funds of Rs 879 crore were released for underground drainage, water pipelines, and pumping stations.

 

He said the upcoming Nanded-Jalna Expressway will cut the travel time between Mumbai and Nanded to just eight hours. “Nanded will become the third industrial centre in the Marathwada region after Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Jalna,” the Chief Minister added. He said the State Government will undertake the Godavari River Cleaning Mission and establish a 150-bed cancer hospital in Nanded. Fadnavis reiterated that his Government will never discontinue the Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme. “We will create 1 crore Lakhpati Didis,” he added.

 

Referring to major infrastructure projects, the CM said a dry port has been set up in Jalna and the Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway has transformed Jalna and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar into emerging industrial hubs, with investments already flowing into the region. He also said an Information and Communication Technology (ICT) centre has been established and a medical college has been sanctioned for Jalna. On solid waste management, Fadnavis said garbage, once considered a liability, has now been converted into an asset through manure production.