Maharashtra budget session: Ajit Pawar lavishes sops on own constituency

Another Rs 100 crore was set aside in the supplementary grants for tourism projects in Mumbai and neighbouring areas being planned by Aaditya Thackeray-led Tourism department. The Shiv Sena heir apparent has been pushing the ambitious plan of construction of a Mumbai Eye on the lines of the hugely popular tourist attraction in the United Kingdom, the London Eye. He has also been advocating plans for construction of a world class aquarium in the financial capital.

Keen to avoid unfruitful expenditure at the fag end of the year, the state government had earlier adopted a fiscal policy asking departments to avoid booking new expenditure after February 15 unless it was of an urgent and unavoidable nature, sources said.

The six new projects in Baramati, for which funds have now been earmarked, included plans to set up a snake park and a bird sanctuary in Tandulwadi village (Rs 5 crore), laying of underground cables for extended area of the Baramati Municipal Council (Rs 50 crore), construction of a government medical college (Rs 9.8 crore), building of a new hostel for Scheduled Caste students (Rs 12 crore), construction of a swimming pool and purchase of sports equipment for an existing sports complex (Rs 1.62 crore), and setting up of new administrative buildings for the office of Additional Superintendent of Baramati city police, and an office for the traffic police (Rs 15 crore).

Besides projects in his constituency, Pawar has also sanctioned funds for the construction of Olympic Bhavan at the Balewadi sports complex. The state government has also sanctioned funds for an additional equity of Rs 103 crore for the Pune Metro Rail project, along with Rs 375 crore towards additional subsidiary loan from the government for the project. Pawar will present the Maha Vikas Aghadi government’s maiden Budget on March 6.