BJP will reserve 40% civic poll tickets for candidates below 35 yrs: CM Fadnavis

Citing the example of the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Fadnavis said, “In the last eleven years of rule under Modi’s leadership there is not a single charge of corruption against the government. The fact that our country is progressive at such a rapid pace, shows the system is functioning. And everything is not rotten.” Public participation, he said, is essential for democracy to thrive.

“From 2009 to 2014, corruption was the mainstay of the system. And India got a bad name. The people fed up with the corruption voted for Modi to bring a change in the country.” Fadnavis also pointed out that the criminal justice system does not distinguish between cases filed against politicians for protests or agitations and those relating to normal crime. Referring to a 2016 report, he said, “A report stated amongst the chief ministers facing maximum complaints was Arvind Kejriwal and myself. All the cases against me were for protests for rights of the people or related issues. There was not a single instance of crime or immoral act.”

Earlier, Fadnavis unveiled infrastructure plans aimed at improving connectivity in Mumbai.

“We are creating a Paatal Lok. It will be a network criss crossing Mumbai. This project will help in decongesting the city. It will be a parallel network alongside the existing roads.” The expansion of the Metro rail network will complement the ‘Paatal Lok’ project, he added.

The coastal road, stretching from South Mumbai to Bhayandar, would provide a hassle-free route to the Western Express Highway, he said.

Nearly sixty per cent of Mumbai’s traffic moves along the Western Express Highway, making decongestion essential for smoother travel at up to 80 km per hour. Several tunnel projects at Thane-Borivali and Mulund-Goregaon will improve east–west connectivity, he said.

He added that another road connecting Borivali and Goregaon with the Worli–Sewri connector is expected to be completed next year, easing movement between the Atal Setu and the Bandra–Worli Sea Link.