The government said protecting the interests of affected residents remains a key priority. An amount of Rs 2,026.72 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition, rehabilitation and compensation for affected properties

Pawar's remarks come amid political churn in Maharashtra following the recent defection of six of the nine Lok Sabha Members of Parliament (MPs) from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) to the Eknath Shinde faction