MP urges CM to expedite Nagpur projects

August 12, 2013

Ramu Bhagwat, TNN |

NAGPUR: City MP Vilas Muttemwar in a lengthy meeting with chief minister Prithvira jChavan on Wednesday took up several pending city projects. With elections round the corner, the MP made it clear to Chavan it was high time to remove the growing perception that most public projects in the second capital were languishing because of the government apathy.

“I brought to chief minister’s notice that Mihan was a dream project on which people had very high hopes. That did not take off as planned because of several constraints. I told him even at this late stage, it can be salvaged by at least activating the passenger transit hub aspect by increasing Nagpur airport’s connectivity to all state capitals,” Muttemwar told TOI. MP has also stressed on the need for dedicated and full-time officials from aviation field to be posted at Nagpur to expedite Mihan project. “Currently, UPS Madan is joint MD and vice-chairman of the project. This is his additional charge as he has to devote more time to MMRDA in Mumbai. I told Chavan he should be replaced immediately with an expert from aviation. All retired officials working as consultants with Mihan should also be replaced with young and motivated personnel,” said Muttemwar.

“If the chief minister takes it up the with all private airlines, it would not be difficult to persuade Tatas who are starting a new service in tie-up with Air Asia to use Nagpur airport for parking of their aeroplanes. Once this is done, it would automatically improve connectivity as the parked planes would fly on new routes,” said the MP. He said there is scope to connect city with 30 domestic destinations if convenient time schedules were provided for business travellers. Right now, city has only one international flight to Sharjah and there is scope to include some more destinations like Dubai, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand.

“On the Indira Gandhi Government Medical College and Hospital whose modernization plan is gathering dust since 2000, I told the CM to take an urgent decision on whether to execute on build-operate-transfer (Bot) basis by a private developer or by a state agency. But the work on the modern hospital in the prime 49 acres of land in the heart of city should be completed in three years from now,” said Muttemwar. He also discussed the matter with guardian minister Shivajirao Moghe. “A 1000-bed hospital with several operation theatres and staff quarters can come up in place of the old dilapidated structures that now house city’s oldest medical college,” the MP said.

On the issue of Nagpur Sahkari Vinkar Society Sut Girni on Umred Road in south Nagpur, he said it was time the state textile department along with the Central government schemes bailed out the defunct unit. “The state as well as the Centre have several schemes for such units. They remain on paper. I also met state textile minister Naseem Khan and requested him to be present in the city on July 31 when Union textile minister Sambasiva Rao is visiting. In the 55 acres of land that remain with Sut Girni (weaving mill), a Common Facility Centre for value addition to handloom and textile units along with a powerloom cluster or a textile park can be started with a potential to employ 20,000 people. If this project is revived, it will give new lease of life to thousands of weavers, artisans and handloom workers living in penury in Nagpur and Kamptee,” said Muttemwar.

Source - http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com