Nagpur – Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed the MIHAN administration to take immediate action to resolve the issues faced by the people affected by the ambitious MIHAN (Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur) project. Shinde stressed that addressing the grievances of project-affected people should be a priority for the government.
The directives were issued during a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Shinde, with the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai. The discussion focused on the progress of the MIHAN project and the challenges faced by those displaced due to its development.
Shinde instructed that the development charges levied on the land developed under the MIHAN project should be made affordable for the public. He also proposed that a revised administrative approval request for the necessary funds be presented before the state cabinet to ensure the project’s smooth progress.
Additionally, the Chief Minister directed that commercial complexes built in the village panchayat areas within the MIHAN region be transferred to the respective panchayats. This move is expected to provide a source of revenue for the local governing bodies. He also suggested reducing the water bills imposed on village panchayats during the resettlement phase of the project.
Deputy Chief Minister Fadnavis added that residents of the MHADA housing colony within the MIHAN area should be relocated to alternative housing outside the region. He also urged for the swift allocation of developed plots to rehabilitate families displaced by the project. Fadnavis further highlighted the need to use a model similar to the one employed by the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC) to provide income-generation avenues for the village panchayats, which currently lack the authority to collect taxes.
The meeting was attended by key officials, including Water Conservation Minister Sanjay Rathod, MLAs Chandrashekhar Bawankule and Ashish Jaiswal, Additional Chief Secretary to the Chief Minister Vikas Kharge, Additional Chief Secretary of the General Administration Department Sanjay Sethi, Additional Chief Secretary of the Housing Department Valsa Nair-Singh, and Secretary to the Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Shrikear Pardeshi.
