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Patil hopes to clear key infrastructure projects
Chandrakant Patil, a trusted aide of BJP president Shah, has taken giant strides with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis allotting him the crucial revenue portfolio during the state cabinet reshuffle. Moreover, Patil has also retained the public works as well as revenue and rehabilitation departments.
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The move to club the revenue and PWD ministries is aimed at pushing pending infrastructure projects.
The state government has so far announced numerous projects such as widening roads and converting these into national highways. It is also getting investment from the railways for laying new rail lines. With Patil holding both the portfolios, expectations among stakeholders are high as far as speedy clearances of land acquisition and pending proposals are concerned.
Speaking to TOI, Patil said, “It is true that the public works and revenue departments work closely. I will have to give justice to the requirements and procedures of the respective departments. My priority will be to work harder so that orders are issued at the earliest. If I can start a sizeable number of projects within the next six months, the change should be felt by May 2019. The change would be in terms of easy commutation, good experience while driving, speedy movement of goods and other services among others. I will use this opportunity to achieve the targets.”
Moreover, Patil’s proximity with Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi can also help in getting clearances for major projects.
A retired state government officer said on the condition of anonymity, “The only problem with Patil holding both the portfolios would be his availability. Both the ministries are known for heavy workload. The minister needs to give extra time when it comes to tricky issues. It needs complete attention to handle things delicately. Land acquisition has become a sensitive issue as the existing government does not take land owners into confidence. Moreover, the overall treatment lacks basic decency in terms of discussions and negotiations.”
“People should be aware of the people’s basic rights. Losing a piece of land or entire land forever will be a major shock for them. In such situation, Patil will have to use his all skills. Besides, people working in both the departments will also have to carry out negotiations for major land acquisition in the state,” the retired official added.
A lot in the bag for Patil
* Conversion of 12,000km-long roads in state into national highways
* The state government has already bagged investment projects worth Rs 8 lakh crore through the Make In India drive, which would need huge land bank
* The government is hunting for huge land in Konkan for setting up the country’s biggest oil refinery at an investment of Rs 1 lakh crore
* Jaitapur nuclear power plant in Konkan is already stuck due to opposition over land acquisition. Though Shiv Sena has not yet given its green signal, Patil will have to use his skills to get it through
* Pune-Miraj-Londa railway line doubling is underway for which additional land is required
* Karad-Chiplun and Kolhapur-Vaibhavwadi fresh railway lines have been proposed. Land acquisition and getting clearances from the environment ministry will be the key aspects. Tyler Bozak Authentic Jersey
