Bidari Cracks The Whip On Land Delays, Pushes MSRDC Projects Into Top Gear
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
Chairing a review meeting at the divisional commissioner's office, Bidari emphasised the need for urgent action and strict timelines to ensure there are no delays in ongoing expressway and road development projects.
The meeting focused on reviewing the current status of land acquisition and joint measurement activities for several high-priority projects, including the Nagpur-Gondia Expressway, Bhandara-Gadchiroli Road, Nagpur-Chandrapur corridor, and Pavnar (Wardha district) to Patra Devi (Goa) (Shaktipeeth) Expressway.
Bidari gave instructions for immediate completion of land measurement and submission of joint measurement reports to the respective land acquisition officers. She emphasised that all departments involved must operate in close coordination to remove bottlenecks and meet deadlines.
She directed deputy superintendents of land records to carry out measurements strictly in line with proposals submitted by MSRDC and to hand over joint measurement reports without delay.
Bidari also instructed district superintendents of land records, district collectors, and joint director of land records to monitor and review the progress regularly.
A key directive from the commissioner included establishing a fixed schedule for all involved officials and departments to carry out and complete land measurement and reporting within a defined time-frame. She stressed that these deadlines must be followed without exception and warned of accountability in case of negligence or delay.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The review, held via videoconferencing, was attended by joint managing director of MSRDC Manuj Jindal, joint commissioner for rehabilitation Pradeep Kulkarni, deputy collector Indira Chaudhary, MSRDC administrator (Navnagare) Nishikant Suke, senior land records officials, district collectors of Nagpur division, sub-divisional officers, tehsildars, and other key stakeholders.
This meeting signals a renewed administrative push to remove land acquisition hurdles that have historically delayed infrastructure development in the region.
With expressways and connectivity corridors being top priorities for Maharashtra's infrastructure roadmap, the commissioner's instructions are expected to drive significant momentum in MSRDC's ongoing projects across Nagpur division.
Nagpur: Divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari has instructed all district administrations and land records officials in the division to expedite land acquisition for major infrastructure projects under the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
Chairing a review meeting at the divisional commissioner's office, Bidari emphasised the need for urgent action and strict timelines to ensure there are no delays in ongoing expressway and road development projects.
The meeting focused on reviewing the current status of land acquisition and joint measurement activities for several high-priority projects, including the Nagpur-Gondia Expressway, Bhandara-Gadchiroli Road, Nagpur-Chandrapur corridor, and Pavnar (Wardha district) to Patra Devi (Goa) (Shaktipeeth) Expressway.
Bidari gave instructions for immediate completion of land measurement and submission of joint measurement reports to the respective land acquisition officers. She emphasised that all departments involved must operate in close coordination to remove bottlenecks and meet deadlines.
She directed deputy superintendents of land records to carry out measurements strictly in line with proposals submitted by MSRDC and to hand over joint measurement reports without delay.
Bidari also instructed district superintendents of land records, district collectors, and joint director of land records to monitor and review the progress regularly.
A key directive from the commissioner included establishing a fixed schedule for all involved officials and departments to carry out and complete land measurement and reporting within a defined time-frame. She stressed that these deadlines must be followed without exception and warned of accountability in case of negligence or delay.
The review, held via videoconferencing, was attended by joint managing director of MSRDC Manuj Jindal, joint commissioner for rehabilitation Pradeep Kulkarni, deputy collector Indira Chaudhary, MSRDC administrator (Navnagare) Nishikant Suke, senior land records officials, district collectors of Nagpur division, sub-divisional officers, tehsildars, and other key stakeholders.
This meeting signals a renewed administrative push to remove land acquisition hurdles that have historically delayed infrastructure development in the region. With expressways and connectivity corridors being top priorities for Maharashtra's infrastructure roadmap, the commissioner's instructions are expected to drive significant momentum in MSRDC's ongoing projects across Nagpur division.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
4 days ago
- India Today
Why CAG is alarmed by Maharashtra's off-Budget borrowings
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has sounded an alert on the off-Budget borrowings by the Maharashtra government affecting its fiscal transparency. The statutory auditor has also pointed to the growing stress on the state's public finances.'Financing expenditures through off-Budget borrowings increases the public liabilities of the state substantially over a period of time, leading to a debt trap, without the legislature even knowing that such liabilities are being created,' said the CAG's report on Maharashtra State Finances for report, which was submitted to the state legislature during its recent monsoon session, explained that off-Budget borrowing (OBB) allows the government to meet its expenditure requirements without recording these debts in the Budget, thereby bypassing legislative borrowings are often raised through state-owned or state-controlled entities, with repayments ultimately covered by the state government's Budget. 'These borrowings, which are serviced through the state's Budget are effectively considered as the state's own liabilities under Article 293(3) of the Constitution. As outlined in the Maharashtra Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (MFRBM) Act and the Rules (2006, amended in 2008), the state government must provide full disclosure of its liabilities including off-Budget However, audit has observed that despite the requirement for transparency, off-Budget borrowings were not disclosed in the Budget documents,' the CAG report said. The CAG's audit noticed instances wherein the state government had resorted to off-Budget borrowing through the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and MSRDC Tunnels Ltd. These entities had entered into an agreement with financial institutions, guaranteeing repayment through state budgetary allocations to cover the principal and interest payments.'The government of Maharashtra's increasing use of off-Budget borrowings not only affects fiscal transparency but also risks circumventing budgetary controls and legislative oversight. The state government needs to improve its fiscal accountability by ensuring that all liabilities are comprehensively reported in the annual financial statements. Furthermore, these off-Budget borrowings should be brought within the ambit of legislative control to ensure sustainable financial management,' the CAG report said, adding: 'The continuous mismatch between receipts and expenditure indicates rising fiscal stress.'State governments are increasingly turning to populism in their politics. For instance, in Maharashtra, after a drubbing in the Lok Sabha election last year, the erstwhile Eknath Shinde-led regime rolled out a gravy train of welfare schemes. The flagship scheme was the Mukhyamantri Majhi Ladki Bahin Yojana, under which over 25 million women from indigent families were given doles of Rs 1,500 per month in a replica of a similar cash benefit scheme for women in neighbouring Madhya schemes, such as stipends for apprentices, free visits to pilgrimage centres for senior citizens, and even a waiver on the toll on passenger cars levied at the five entry points to Mumbai, served as force-multipliers in the state assembly poll held later that year, which was swept by the from the ruling coalition say the Ladki Bahin scheme led to this 'silent' voter segment of women, whose financial and social autonomy is otherwise constrained, voting for them with their feet. By June this year, a scrutiny by the state government has detected that around 885,000 women had claimed more cash doles under the Ladki Bahin Yojana than they were eligible for. The state government also struck off over 2,000 government employees from the list of CAG report said that the state has different sources of revenue receipts, such as its own tax revenue, non-tax revenue, devolution of state's share in taxes, grants in-aid from the Union government and non-debt capital receipts. From 2019-20 to 2023-24, the revenue receipts increased by 52.05 per cent, from Rs 2,83,189.58 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 4,30,596.46 crore in 2023-24, at a CAGR (compound annual growth rate) of 11.04 per compared to 2022-23, during 2023-24, its own tax revenue increased by Rs 24,857.06 crore (8.96 per cent), the non-tax revenues rose by Rs 4,081.53 crore (24.33 per cent) and the state's share of Union taxes and duties increased by Rs 11,348.78 crore (18.91 per cent). However, the grants-in-aid from the Union government decreased by Rs 15,368.84 crore (29.89 per cent).The CAG noted that debt as a percentage of the Gross State Domesdatic Product (GSDP) has increased to 18.11 in 2023-24 from 17.42 in 2022-23. Additionally, there were off-Budget borrowings during 2022-23 and 2023-24. 'If the current trend is followed, the ratio of debt/GSDP would eventually rise, leading to reduced fiscal flexibility,' it to India Today Magazine- EndsTune InMust Watch
Time of India
4 days ago
- Time of India
ZP, Panchayat Samiti Polls In 1st Phase, Civic Elections To Follow
Nagpur: The State Election Commission (SEC) is set to begin the first phase of local body elections in Maharashtra with zilla parishad (ZP) and panchayat samiti (PS) polls. This will be followed by elections to the municipal corporations and municipal councils. As of July 1, 2025, the total number of registered voters across Nagpur city has risen to 24,84,250 — an increase of 1,00,126 voters since the 2024 state assembly elections. These discussions were part of a high-level preparatory meeting held at the divisional commissionerate on Wednesday, marking the beginning of the SEC's review process across the state starting from Nagpur division. An agreement has been signed with the Madhya Pradesh State Election Commission to procure voting machines. Additionally, 50,000 control units and one lakh ballot units have been requisitioned from the Election Commission of India (ECI). "Officials have been directed to arrange govt warehouses to store the voting machines, inspect all machines before polling, and organise training for poll officers. At a few places, we are a little short of manpower, but that will be rectified in the coming days," divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari told TOI. At the meeting, municipal commissioner Abhijeet Chaudhari presented Nagpur Municipal Corporation's (NMC) pre-election arrangements to the SEC. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo The review meet was chaired by state election commissioner Dinesh Waghmare, along with divisional commissioner Vijayalakshmi Bidari, SEC secretary Suresh Kakani, additional municipal commissioner Ajay Charathankar, and deputy commissioner Vijaya Bankar, among others. In Nagpur city, elections will be conducted for 38 prabhags (wards). Of these, 37 wards will elect four members each, and one ward will elect three members. This will result in 151 elected corporators, along with five nominated members, taking the total house strength to 156. The delimitation (prabhag rachana) process for Nagpur city is in its final stages and is expected to be officially notified next week. The reservation policy for the civic polls will follow the 2017 model. The city's voter base currently includes 12,26,488 male, 12,57,560 female, and 256 other voters. During the last municipal polls in 2017, the total voter count stood at 23,83,014. To accommodate the increase in voters, the number of polling booths in Nagpur city will rise from 2,783 in 2017 to 3,185 in the upcoming election. Voting will be conducted using EVMs. The preparations include 3,470 control units and 13,880 ballot units. A strong room for securing election material will be established at Yashwant Stadium. Approximately 18,000 govt employees will be required for poll duty in Nagpur city alone. Bidari informed that according to the July 1 voter list, there are 40,23,029 registered voters for the ZP polls, for which 6,441 polling stations have been proposed. To facilitate the voting process, 7,280 control units and 16,288 ballot units will be deployed. For the 55 nagar parishads and nagar panchayats in the division, there are 18,12,167 registered voters. The district administration has proposed 2,378 polling stations for these local bodies and has begun preparations for their elections. The SEC has instructed officials to ensure that polling stations are adequately equipped to handle the increased voter turnout. Facilities should be accessible for disabled voters, and provisions must be made to create model and pink polling stations. The SEC has also mandated that the voter list dated July 1, 2025, be used to divide polling stations and streamline arrangements. SEC secretary Suresh Kakani emphasised appointing a divisional-level coordination officer to ensure smooth planning and distribution of electronic voting machines, proper manpower management, and uniformity in equipment deployment as per poll requirements.
Time of India
6 days ago
- Time of India
Sangli farmers resort to bhajans to protest Shaktipeeth project
Kolhapur: Farmers from Sangli district's Tasgaon have adopted a unique form of protest against the proposed 802km Shaktipeeth Expressway project. Whenever MSRDC officials arrive for land survey and mapping, the farmers start performing bhajans and kirtans with anti-project lyrics, accompanied by traditional instruments like taal and mridangam, in a peaceful 'Gandhigiri' style of resistance. Mahesh Kharade, Sangli district president of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, said, "This is farmers' way of showing their resentment, in a Gandhigiri style. For three days, farmers from Matkunki village didn't allow land survey for the project. The anti-Shaktipeeth bhajan written by a farmer, Amol Patil, made even the highway officials think over what they were doing." Tasgaon tehsildar Atul Patole said the land survey in Tasgaon needed to be carried out in 10 villages. "The survey was completed in Sawarde and Siddhewadi villages where there was less landholding by farmers. In Sawalaj and Nagaon Kavathe, the land survey is ongoing. In some villages, the farmers are opposing the survey. We are holding discussions with the farmers and trying to clear their doubts about the project. " The land survey in Sangli district's Miraj tehsil will commence from July 25, where farmers have also decided to oppose the project. MLC Satej Patil said, "If farmers support the Shaktipeeth project, why have so many objections been raised against it? The fight against Shaktipeeth will continue."
