Maharashtra: Opposition Hits Out at Shinde Govt After Submarine Project ‘Moved to Gujarat’

New Delhi: Opposition parties in Maharashtra have criticised the Eknath Shinde government for allegedly moving one more project from the state to Gujarat. According to Deccan Herald, India’s first submarine project, planned at Nivati Rock in Maharashtra’s Sindhudurg district, is now expected to come up at Dwarka in Gujarat.

This project was announced by the Maharashtra government in 2018, and Rs 56 crore was to be set aside for it. However, the project did not get off the ground.

Deccan Herald reports that the Gujarat government has stated that this project will now be built in Dwarka, and signed an agreement with the Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL).

Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Vaibhav Naik lashed out at the Shinde government over this on Sunday, saying, “The project was declared a few years ago. During the MVA government’s tenure, a budgetary allocation was made for it. Marine expert Sarang Kulkarni was appointed as a consultant, and there were primary discussions about purchasing the submarine for around Rs 200 crore. But ever since the Shinde-Fadnavis government took over, there has been no development on this front. Now we have discovered that the project is being shifted to Dwarka in Gujarat.”

Nationalist Congress Party leader Sanjay Raut also criticised this change, adding that the Shinde-Fadnavis government seemed to be moving a large number of projects to Gujarat.  “Gujarat has taken away 17 projects of Maharashtra but CM Eknath Shinde and DCM Devendra Fadnavis are not uttering a word against it. This is nothing but robbery. Gujarat is taking away projects that give employment to the youth and in return supplying drugs which destroy the youth,” he said, according to Hindustan Times.

“How many more projects is this state government going to gift to Gujarat?” said Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar. “One after another, projects have been taken there but the CM and two DCMs only go to Delhi to salute their political masters.”

Shinde, on the other hand, has claimed that allegations that the project has been shifted to Gujarat are false. “No projects are going to Gujarat. Don’t believe in false news being particularly spread by the opposition. The tourism minister is with me, he also confirmed saying no such project has left the states. What about projects which were stalled by the MVA. We have not just re-started them but are also completing them at full speed,” he said, according to The Times of India.