Mumbai: Notwithstanding his own flagship “Jalyukta Shivar” program, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday expressed their “Sankalp” (resolve) to make Maharashtra, Drought Free and five crore jobs in the next five years. Fadnavis along with executive president J P Nadda released the 16 point Sankalp Patra which resolves to make Maharashtra – Sampanna (self-sufficient), Sammruddh (prosperous) and Samarth (capable) in the next five years.
A home for all homeless by 2022, compulsory health check-up for all, Bharat Ratna for Mahatma Jyotiba Phule, Savitribai Phule and Swatantryaveer Sawarkar, a separate authority to take care of repairs and maintenance of roads, further the one nation, one poll concept, coastal passenger traffic, super highway linking costal Maharashtra with the rest of the state are some of the poll promises in the 44 page document.
Admitting the stress on power generation and demands from farmers for 12 hour assured power supply for agriculture, Fadnavis stated that the government intends to fulfill that promise through solar power distribution network and implementing project to generate energy out of garbage and waste.
Pointing to the three consecutive droughts that the state had to face, the BJP poll manifesto promises to divert the 167 TMC water that goes waste in the west ward flowing rivers into the Arabian Sea and divert these waters to Godavari river basin and into the dry and arid regions of North Maharashtra and Marathwada. Terming the Sankalp Patra as the road map of his government for the future, Fadnavis while referring to the recent floods in Sangli, Kolhapur stated that the excess flood waters Krishna and Koyna rivers will be diverted to dry and arid regions of Western Maharashtra.
Likewise the excess of waters from the Vainganga river that flow through Telangana which otherwise go waste shall be diverted to arid regions of western Vidarbha. Referring to the perennial water scarcity faced by the Marathwada region, he announced that once voted back to power the government will under the Marathwada Water Grid link 11 major dams with each other and divert the west flowing rivers to the region.
Commenting upon the fatalities often caused due to potholed roads, he said that the government intends to set up a separate authority that will look after the maintenance and repairs of roads. Fadnavis announced the BJPs resolve to construct a “Super Highway” between Nagpur-Nanded-Solapur-Kolhapur-Ratnagiri-Sawantwadi linking the coastal Konkan belt with the rest of the state. Besides this, he announced that the survey work of railway line linking Karad in Western Maharashtra and Chiplun in Konkan region. The Chief Minister also promises to commence the coastal water passenger traffic between Mumbai and Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg.
After having recently faced flak for attempts to allow weddings on top of forts, the BJP led government has promised that it will allocate and spend Rs 620 crore for restoration of Raigad fort, the seat of power of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. Taking note of the multitude of local dialects like Ahirani, Khandeshi and others a separate dialect conservation center will be set up.
Speaking on the occasion, BJP executive president J P Nadda termed the Sankalp Patra as a doable and serious document. He charged the opposition Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) of diluting the seriousness of the election manifesto by making all sorts of poll promises. Replying to queries over the collapse of the Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank he said that soon after coming back to power, he will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urge the Center to do everything possible within its rights to ensure that the people get back their hard earned deposited money.
