The Maharashtra government’s ambitious aim to turn the State into a $1 trillion economic hub with massive infrastructural development in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) got an impetus with Klaus Schwab, World Economic Forum’s Executive Chairman, signing a memorandum of understanding with Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) in September. Right now, MMR contributes $140 billion to the country’s GDP.
MMR is rapidly developing. The mega projects include a Metro Rail, Coastal Highway, connecting bridges, tunnels, and road widening. The estimated cost of these projects is around Rs.5 lakh crore. The State Cabinet has passed the MMRDA plan of Rs.58,000 crore in two months before the Model Code of Conduct comes into place.
The announcement of these projects in the last four months is no coincidence, in the run-up to the Assembly election. It is an attempt to woo voters of the MMR zone and the State’s urban pockets. The MMR zone has 63 Assembly constituencies. In the Lok Sabha election, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) won in six out of 11 constituencies. NDA could win in only 17 constituencies out of Maharashtra’s 48: six were won in MMR, underscoring the region’s importance to Mahayuti, as NDA is called in Maharashtra.
On October 5, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the first underground metro train from Bandra-Kurla Complex to Aarey Colony at Rs.14,120 crore.
In the Pune Metropolitan Region where there are 15 Assembly seats, a Rs.47,000 crore ring route has been in the news for a few years. The state cabinet approved the financial closure report of the ring route in September.
These big-ticket infrastructure projects have been recently publicised, targeting the urban voter. Parth Das of Today’s Chanakya, a survey agency that has been conducting an extensive survey in Maharashtra, says: “Respondents have listed projects such as the Atal Setu (Mumbai trans harbour link) or Samruddhi Mahamarg (high-speed highway connecting Mumbai to Nagpur) as works of the BJP government. Voters believe this is proof of the country’s development.”
In the name of nation-building
This trend of selling big urban infrastructure projects as “development” has built over the years. But the recent changes are significantly different. Bharat Patil of Unique Academy and Research of Pune says, “Bhakra Nangal was an important and necessary project. It was hailed as an important step in nation-building. But Samruddhi Mahamarg is an unnecessary project. The State could have used that money to widen and strengthen existing roads connecting Mumbai to Nagpur. But Samruddhi got huge publicity. So, people now believe that it is a great contribution towards developing Maharashtra.”
Sanjeev Chandorkar, ex-associate professor at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, points out that the Modi regime has stepped up the infrastructure budget from Rs.5 lakh crore to Rs.12 lakh crore in the recent Budget. “This huge jump is a sign of how global and national capital is being absorbed into mega infrastructure projects. But on the other hand, it is also true that these big contracts are going to the cronies of the regime. We have seen it in the electoral bond issue. So, this big infrastructure has the possibility of corruption, making political beneficiaries financially stronger. So, people praise it for its spectacular work and the political class enjoys all other benefits.”
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Apart from urban pockets, big projects are being pushed in rural areas too. The main projects for rural Maharashtra are related to irrigation. In the last three Cabinet meetings held in September and October, the State government cleared projects worth Rs.40,000 crore. This includes the Nar-Par-Girna Valley link project project of Rs.7,000 crore, the Damanganga-Ekdare-Godavari river-linking project project of Rs.13,000 crore, the Ashti lift irrigation project of Rs.700 crore, and various other projects. These projects influence 40 Assembly constituencies in Nasik, Jalgaon, Beed, Jalana, Ahmednagar, Dhule, and Palghar districts. In the recent Lok Sabha election, BJP could win only two seats in Jalgaon district and one in Palghar.
Farmers sow soybean seeds at Ghogaon village in Karad on June 26, 2023. Maharashtra’s farmers, facing falling crop prices and erratic rains, view the government’s ambitious ₹40,000 crore irrigation projects with scepticism.
| Photo Credit:
PTI
Mahendra Mahajan, a senior journalist from Nashik, believes that these announcements have the capacity to influence voters. But he cautions that while irrigation “is important”, the completion of these projects “will take years”. He adds: “Right now, farmers are struggling with falling prices and the rain. If the government fails to address these issues, mega announcements will have no significance.”
Ashwini Kulkarni, director of Samparka Abhiyan, an initiative that looks after work related to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and other works related to rural development,raises doubts about these projects too. “Every big project is passed after the due process of audits. There should also be an audit of the project 10 years after its completion. In Maharashtra’s case, local solutions to irrigation issues have more potential than these big projects.” She also points out the detrimental impacts of mega projects. “Smaller projects are more environmentally friendly. They have zero carbon footprint. Mega projects need huge cement and other material.”
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So what is the take of the public? Frontline spoke to people across age, gender, and localities in Mumbai and its suburbs as well as people in Pune city. Milind Kedar, a driver from Ulhasnagar, Mumbai, says, “After Atal Setu, my driving time has reduced by almost an hour daily. Earlier I needed two hours to reach Colaba but now it takes me one-and-a-half hours.” Vijaya Kulkarni, a doctor, needs to travel from Bandra to Parel to Bhandup three days a week. Most of her day is spent travelling. “Traffic in the city has affected my profession in a big way. Our medical appointments are planned by guessing the traffic situation. So, the Bandra Kurla connectors are actually very helpful for me.” Akshay Dabhade, a medical representative, travels by local train every day in Mumbai. He believes the metro network will help him reduce his travel time. “The Colaba-SEEPZ metro line is very important. It will reduce our travel time,” he says.
Nikhil Konde Deshmukh, a contractor, supports the idea of the ring route in Pune. “I have work going on in three directions of the city. The ring route is much needed in Pune. We spend two hours in the morning and evening crossing the city. It affects our work badly,” he says. Gururaj Valavi, a law student who lives in Pune’s Hadapsar area now uses the metro to reach college. “Earlier, Pune city transport used to take an hour. But now get there in 25 minutes. The metro is necessary for us,” he says.
These responses to mega projects show that the masses are in favour of them. Although this may not be the only factor determining voting preference, people at large see the big projects necessary for development.
What about schools?
Maharashtra needs infrastructure strengthening more in backward districts than MMR and Pune. “Schools, health facilities, and connecting roads to small villages are also parts of the infrastructure. Maharashtra is highly deprived of this,” says Savita Kulkarni, a professor with the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics in Pune, who has co-authored a book on the infrastructure in Maharashtra. “State policymakers need to focus on these smaller sectors compared to big bridges or metro railways. Ultimately, balanced development of all regions only reduces the stress on cities.”
Recently, the contractor association of Maharashtra protested across the State for pending bills worth Rs.27,000 crore. These works are largely related to schools, village panchayat offices, and maintenance of government offices at tehsils or roads for SC/ST settlements.
While the masses at large appear to support big projects, policymakers do need to understand the people’s real needs. In an ideal world, an election is the time to discuss these. But in Maharashtra, these priorities are skewed in public discourse.
