Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said the state government will make Mumbai into a city that will evoke envy in the rest of the world, and the ongoing infrastructure works in the financial capital are aimed in that direction. Shinde said Maharashtra will be the growth engine of the country’s development in its bid to become a $5-trillion economy.
The chief minister made the remarks while speaking at an event organised on the 75th anniversary of Loksatta.
“We are here to fulfill the dream of inclusive development of Mumbai. This is the country’s financial capital. There were obstacles in the development of Mumbai. But since Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and I received the chance, we have started the work to ensure the city is free of potholes in the next two years,” he said.
Shinde said that he works as per the ideology of late Balasaheb Thackeray and does not speak about development only when elections approach.
“We believe in action and not merely talking. The developmental work seen all over the city is a result of that. Seven months ago, we attempted to bring the power that was in people’s minds and in this short period, we have taken decisions which are in people’s favour,” he said.
The chief minister added that the state’s development and progress would be based on strong infrastructure and therefore the government is working on improving the infrastructure. He listed various developmental works in the state such as the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway, Nariman Point to Virar and Sewri to Nhava Shewa coastal roads, Nagpur-Goa greenfield expressway as well as the ongoing Mumbai-Goa highway.
Earlier, Shinde lauded 75 years of Loksatta, saying this is the “Amrutkal of the newspaper which has done honourable and trustworthy journalism all through these years”.