Mumbai: Come January 12 and the prestigious ‘longest coastal road’ in the country – the 22-kms-long, high speed “Atal Behari Vajpayee Sewri-Nhava Sheva Atal Setu Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL) project” will be commissioned by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said recently that this project would help vehicles cover the Mumbai-Navi Mumbai distance in barely 20 minutes, instead of earlier time of two hours.
Noting that the MTHL would put an end to Mumbai’s traffic snarls, he said it would also help in ushering in new development projects in Navi Mumbai, Raigad and other cities besides the Mumbai-Goa highway, for which 500 skill development centers had been started for providing employment to youth and various welfare decisions.
The Rs 18,000 crore MTHL bridge was completed in seven years and spans 16.50 kms at sea and 5.5 kms on land to connect Mumbai Port and Jawaharlal Nehru Port.
Earlier, the Chief Minister announced that the Mumbai-Goa Highway would be completed by December 2024. The Government made provision of Rs 500 crores for the Konkan region, which will be witnessing Rs 20,000 crores of new industries coming up to provide also employment opportunities, he said.
The “Shasan Aplya Daari” (Government at your doorstep) initiative had witnessed about 2.2 crore persons benefiting from it, he said.
The Chief Minister also personally kick-started a cleanliness campaign recently to keep Mumbai pollution-free through the state-wide ongoing “Mahaswachhtha Abhiyan” that will work uninterruptedly, while also segregating the collected waste.
Describing these cleanliness workers as the +real heroes+, he said the Government has taken the initiative for solving their problems including providing education for their children.
Shinde also felicitated mediapersons on the occasion of “Journalist Day” on January 6.
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Raigad district in Maharashtra is the “capital of good governance” and will become the “Point of Centre” for data development through largescale investment and infrastructure facilities provided by the Government.
Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, while assuring that there would be no paucity of funds for the ongoing overall development of the Konkan region, noted that government schemes are being taken to people’s doorsteps.
He said the “third” Mumbai is coming up in this region and all necessary means of communication being provided including jetties and RoRo services, besides initiatives benefiting farmers in this region.
