Fadnavis: I want to create as many affordable houses as possible

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is proud to proclaim Mumbai Meri Jaan when it comes to talking of his passion for developing the city even while keeping its soul intact As he steps into the fifth year in office he tells midday that he had envisaged an infrastructural turnaround of the city immediately after assuming the top jobHe cites the ongoing project for constructing 200 km of Metro in the city and Mumbai Metropolitan Region MMR as a milestone in his stint saying a lot is in the pipeline to upgrade the living standards of the people He also says the next thing on his mind for Mumbai and MMR is creating an affordable mass housing and expediting slum rehabilitation like the longpending Dharavi projectHere is what else the CM has to say on several issuesGive us an update of the agenda for Mumbai that you had set in the first yearI had envisioned that the city and MMR should have better transport facility So I expedited the metro projects The previous government had approved just 1140km of Metro But in the past four years we not only approved 180km of the Metro in Mumbai and MMR but also ensured that the work started Now my priority is to finish infra projects as quickly as possible without compromising on quality and give Mumbai and MMR muchneeded relief in commutingWhat else have you planned for infrastructureConceptualised 30 years ago the Navi Mumbai airport work started this year in our regime We plan the first takeoff from here next December Some 85 land for the MumbaiNagpur Samriddhi Super Communications Highway has been acquired Mumbais CCTV web is being expanded The VersovaBandra sea link has been approved The transharbour link will be a reality in the coming years MumbaiPune expressways capacity will be increased The SionPanvel highway will have a new creek bridgeBhiwandiKalyan road and Ghodbunder Road will have an elevated stretch These projects have got offbudget funding from national and international agencies Water transport has also been taken up expeditiously MumbaiMandwa RoRo project will serve 14 lakh passengers and the 109 km distance by road will be reduced to 19km by waterwayWhat is your next priorityHousing is a big problem in Mumbai I want to create as many affordable houses as possible They will come through the Pradhan Mantri Aavas Yojana urban and agencies like MHADA and CIDCO We have set up a separate housing corporation for the PM scheme which will also build houses Some 110 lakh houses 385 schemes are being built under SRA and the Dharavi redevelopment will house almost all eligible people in new buildings This will be possible because a Mumbaikar Railways Minister Piyush Goyal has given us railway land for the rehabilitation The BBD Chawls 16000 tenants will get bigger houses 500 sq ft from 160 sq ft free of costThe Shiv SenaThe BJP is happy that the Sena has brought up the Ram Temple issue Hindutva is a common agenda that binds us both The Sena may talk against the government or the BJP but this should not be taken seriously by you media or the BJP I must say that we will have a formidable alliance in both Lok Sabha and Assembly polls The Opposition read the Congress has also realised that they cannot afford to abuse the Hindus and mislead minorities If Rahul Gandhi prays before God for an effective government then Im sure that his prayer will be granted and the BJP will come back to powerOn Opposition and the BJPThe Opposition is misusing social media and public platforms to spread lies about the BJP and its government but the people who have benefitted will favour us yet again The Opposition is desperate and speaks lies because they dont need to give any explanation I dont blame anyone media or otherwise The Opposition spits venom against us and yet we win because we impact the lives of the people in a positive manner We again win Lok Sabha and Assembly electionsBecoming the CM againThe political reality will decide the next CM But Im confident that I will continue to be there The Sena may have its CM if they win more numbers than usAction against left liberalsWe have proof stronger than we had in the case of Sai Baba Maoist activist against the activists who were arrested this year The Supreme Court too has allowed the police to proceed by accepting the evidence It is known that we dont like the leftist ideology and we dont approve of their propaganda Their activities are planned to divide communities We will prove that in courtAlso ReadDevendra Fadnavis Important for India that PM Narendra Modi comes to power againCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates