Govt will take decisions in Maratha community's interest, but OBCs won't face injustice: Devendra Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday reiterated that the state government remains committed to addressing the concerns of the Maratha community on the reservation issue while assuring that the interests of the Other Backward Classes OBCs would not be compromised in the processThe chief minister said any decision taken by the government on reservationrelated matters would be within the framework of the Constitution and capable of withstanding judicial scrutinyHis remarks came amid renewed agitation by Maratha reservation activist Manoj Jarange who launched his ninth indefinite hunger strike in Jalna district earlier in the dayFadnavis responds to Jaranges latest protestSpeaking to reporters after inspecting a compressed biogas plant at Bhandewadi in Nagpur Fadnavis was asked about Jaranges ongoing hunger strike at Antarwali Sarati village in Jalna districtJarange has resumed his agitation over several pending demands including the issuance of Kunbi caste certificates to eligible members of the Maratha community implementation of records contained in the Hyderabad and Satara Gazette documents and withdrawal of cases registered against protesters during the Maratha reservation movementResponding to these demands Fadnavis said the government had consistently maintained a positive approach towards resolving issues concerning the Maratha communityThe government has always been positive on this issue Whenever challenges arose appropriate decisions were taken Our stand remains transparent and positive and it will continue to be so he saidReservation decisions must withstand legal scrutinyThe chief minister stressed that any solution to the reservation issue must comply with constitutional provisions and judicial directivesAccording to Fadnavis decisions taken outside the legal framework may generate immediate attention but are unlikely to survive challenges in courtsWe have to follow the Constitution and the directions issued by the High Court and the Supreme Court A decision taken outside that framework may attract publicity but it will not stand legal scrutiny he saidHe added that the government would continue working towards solutions that are legally sustainable and capable of passing constitutional testsWe will take every decision that can stand the test of the Constitution and the courts he saidOBC communitys interests will not be affectedThe Maratha reservation issue has also triggered concerns among OBC organisations which have opposed any move to grant reservation to Marathas from the existing OBC quotaAddressing these concerns Fadnavis said the government would not favour one community at the expense of anotherThis government has never taken benefits away from one community to give them to another and it never will he saidHe assured OBC groups that their existing rights and benefits would remain protectedThe OBC community has no reason to worry We will address the concerns of the Maratha community but we will not allow any injustice to the OBC community the chief minister addedDiscussions underway on pending demandsWhen asked about demands for issuing a government resolution related to the Maratha reservation issue Fadnavis said discussions were currently underwayWithout elaborating on the specifics he maintained that the government was prepared to take any legally permissible decisionI do not want to go into details at this stage but we are ready to take any decision within the framework of the Constitution and the law he saidCM highlights wastetoenergy project in NagpurEarlier in the day Fadnavis inspected a compressed biogas project at Bhandewadi and described it as the countrys first municipal waste processing facility based on drydigestion technologyThe project which is being developed in three phases with a combined processing capacity of 1200 tonnes of waste per day is expected to become fully operational by AugustAccording to the chief minister the facility will generate around 28 tonnes of compressed biogas 120 tonnes of organic manure and nearly 400 tonnes of refusederived fuel dailyThe project has been developed through private investment of nearly Rs 300 crore and does not involve any tipping fee from the government he saidFadnavis said the initiative would help address longstanding waste management challenges in the Bhandewadi area while reducing environmental pollution and converting municipal waste into useful resourcesFuel prices linked to global energy crisisCommenting on the recent rise in fuel prices Fadnavis said the increase was a consequence of the ongoing global energy crisis and disruptions in international supply chainsHe noted that fuel prices had risen across several countries including the United States European nations and Indias neighbouring countriesFuel prices have increased across the world Maintaining supply chains during such circumstances involves additional costs he saidThe chief minister expressed confidence that fuel prices would stabilise once the international situation improves and global energy markets return to normal conditionsWith inputs from PTI