Maharashtra Cabinet approves name change of Sawantwadi Station after late minister Madhu Dandavate

The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved a proposal to rename Sawantwadi railway station after late veteran leader and former Union Railway Minister Madhu DandavateThe decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on TuesdayAfter receiving approval from the Central Government the station will officially be known as ldquoLokmanya Madhu Dandavate Railway Terminusrdquo an official statement saidMadhu Dandavate is widely regarded as one of the chief architects of the Konkan Railway project As Railway Minister and later Union Finance Minister he played a major role in pushing for the railway line connecting the Konkan region Local residents and railway supporters had been demanding that an important station on the Konkan route be named after him for several yearsThe state government said the decision honours public sentiment and recognises Dandavatersquos contribution to the development of the Konkan regionDeadline extended for general transfers of employeesThe Cabinet also approved an extension for the 2026 general transfer process of state government employees until 30 June 2026The extension has been granted because of the ongoing preparations for Census 2027According to the government many officials are currently engaged in censusrelated duties including house listing and house enumeration work scheduled between May 16 and June 14 2026The Central Government had instructed states not to transfer employees assigned to census work during this period As a result Maharashtra will amend the Maharashtra Government Servants Regulation of Transfers and Prevention of Delay in Discharge of Official Duties Act 2005The Cabinet also cleared a draft ordinance for the amendment which will now be issued after approval from the GovernorDombivli temple trust gets land regularisation approvalIn another important decision the Cabinet approved the regularisation of encroached land used by the Pimpaleshwar Devasthan Temple Trust in DombivliThe trust located at SagaonSonarpada in Kalyan taluka of Thane district had requested that the land in its possession be granted at a nominal rate for social and religious activitiesThe Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation MIDC had submitted details of the case to the government Following recommendations from various committees and departments the Cabinet approved the transfer of approximately four acres and twentyfive gunthas of land to the trustHowever the government clarified that this decision should not be treated as a precedent for future encroachment regularisation cases on MIDC land MIDC has also been directed to prepare a proper policy regarding encroachments relocation and regularisation matters in futureStamp duty waiver for Nagpur Ring RoadThe Maharashtra Cabinet further approved a waiver of stamp duty and registration charges for land acquisition linked to major infrastructure projects in NagpurThe exemption applies to land being directly purchased through negotiations for the New Nagpur project and the proposed 148kilometre outer ring road around Nagpur cityThe Nagpur Metropolitan Region Development Authority plans to develop an International Business and Finance Centre at Godhani and Ladgaon villages in Hingna taluka The outer ring road project will also include four transport terminalsAccording to the government stamp duty and registration charges for the land transactions would have cost nearly Rs 637 crore Waiving these charges is expected to speed up the completion of both public infrastructure projects and encourage industrial and commercial growth in the regionThe Cabinet approved the exemption under provisions of the Maharashtra Stamp Act