MUMBAI, SEPT 7: The State Government has finally decided to scrap the controversial Mega City project which was supposed to be undertaken to finance the construction of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway."The government has scrapped the project as a study has revealed that it is unviable," Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh announced during the post-Cabinet press briefing today.The project was to be undertaken by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) at two places - outskirts of Pune and Kon in Raigad district. Under the project, the MSRDC was to develop townships at both the places for sale in the open market, the proceeds of which was to be used for construction of the eight-lane expressway.However, the project ran into rough weather due to strong opposition from the locals whose land was being acquired by the government."Our study revealed that the income from the project was less than the estimated expenditure on it. Due to several complications involved in it, we decided to scrap the project,"Deshmukh said. However, the government will ensure that there is no shortage of funds for completion of the expressway, he said.The expressway will be ready by March 2001, he assured.Minister for Public Works (MSRDC) Vikramsinh Patankar said the decision was taken by Chief Minister at his level. The State Government will have to compensate the money which the MSRDC was planning to raise from the megacity project, he added.Opposition leader in the Council and former public works minister Nitin Gadkari criticised the government's decision saying that the project was scrapped to safeguard the interests of the builders' lobby in Pune. "The builders' lobby stands to gain about Rs 350 crore due to the government's decision," he alleged and said he would soon demand a high-level inquiry into the entire affair. "I suspect some foul-play," he said.The project was started during the tenure of Gadkari who was minister for public works in the erstwhile Sena-BJP government.Gadkari held Deshmukh, NCP chief Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Chhagan Bhujbal responsible for the decision. "It appears that the builders' lobby has succeeded in managing the DF bosses," he alleged.
