JOIN USFresh face Fadnavis has task cut out
Maharashtra Chief Minister-designate Devendra Fadnavis has several big tasks in hand even as the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) latest poster boy is all set to take charge.
Fadnavis needs to revive the state’s sagging economy, control mounting debts which has crossed Rs 3 lakh crore, boost big-ticket infrastructure projects, probe series of scams including the Rs 70,000 crore irrigation scam and think of a possible re-investigation of the sensational Adarsh scandal.
One of the key aspect would be to deal with the Vidarbha statehood issue, of which he is a votary. But now being in the driver’s seat, he would have to do a balancing act.
Besides, he would also have to check whether all the files that had been destroyed in the fire in Mantralaya has been reconstructed or not and he must tackle law and order include controlling street crime and atrocities against Dalits.
He would also have to ensure that investments come to Maharashtra. At the same time, he would have a challenging task of discussing issues with ministers who are senior to him in party and in politics.
The four-time MLA does not have any ministerial experience, but he is gifted with a sharp brain and excellent learning skills. He holds a law degree from Nagpur University, a Post Graduate Degree in Business Management and a Diploma in Methods and Techniques of Project Management from DSE, Berlin.
“His legislative experience is excellent, his contacts cut across party lines, he has good relations with IAS and IPS officers. He is always keen to learn and is gifted with an elephantine memory. In the last decade, he has exposed several scams of the Democratic Front government and knows how different departments work.
During the discussion of highly-technical subjects like budget and irrigation, he has displayed his skills. He would take these as a challenge and come out successful,” a senior BJP leader said.
Some of the big projects before hand are the mono rail in Mumbai and Thane, metro rail in Mumbai, Thane, Nagpur and Pune, MIHAN airport in Nagpur, Mumbai-Nhava Sheva Trans-Harbour Link, coastal roads, highways and so on. He would also have to ensure that load-shedding in the state stops completely and for this power generation has to be enhanced significantly.
“Development and infrastructure are the key mantras of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and this team. He (Fadnavis) needs to address these issues as early as possible. The key priority is to kickstart all the pending projects,” a senior bureaucrat said, adding that agriculture, health and social social sector too needs to be given a boost.
A senior political analyst said that Maharashtra has been facing vagaries of nature – like drought, excessive rainfall, hailstorm. “This directly affects the economy,” he said.