Dinesh Kamath's news item 'Prithviraj Chavan versus Ganesh Naik' that was published in Newsband

Prithviraj Chavan versus Ganesh Naik

By Dinesh Kamath

NAVI MUMBAI: Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan who belongs to Congress and Thane Guardian Minister Ganesh Naik of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) seem to have differences of opinion about the attitude displayed by Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's (MMRDA). According to Naik, MMRDA is not treating Navi Mumbai kindly and doesn’t care to take up infrastructure projects here.

Incidentally CM Chavan is in charge of the MMRDA. It is true that Chavan is a Congressman but in Navi Mumbai it is the NCP, led by Thane guardian minister Ganesh Naik, who has the stronghold.

Both Chavan and Naik had even met each other to discuss this MMRDA issue and Naik clearly disapproved of the behaviour of MMRDA. Naik didn’t seem to understand the reason why MMRDA was not taking up infrastructure projects in Navi Mumbai. One gets the feeling that Congress party doesn’t want MMRDA to support NCP which rules Navi Mumbai and hence MMRDA just ignores the satellite city when it comes to taking up the infrastructure project here.

But CM Chavan refuses to accept the fact that MMRDA which he heads is partial and showing step-motherly treatment to Navi Mumbai. CM is of the opinion that Navi Mumbai doesn’t need the help of MMRDA since City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) has taken total care of the city when it comes to infrastructures. CM doesn’t agree with Naik that his city is lagging behind in the matter of infrastructures. But CM did express his willingness to let MMRDA render whatever help Navi Mumbai needed provided the city authorities came up with a proper proposal of the kind of infrastructures they genuinely needed.

The plans of having flyovers on Palm Beach Road and Thane-Belapur Road in Navi Mumbai had taken shape. These were to decongest traffic on these roads. Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) had even tried to obtain funds from the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM) but its attempt proved to be a failure. But there are possibilities of MMRDA taking up these two projects after Ganesh Naik’s meeting with the CM himself.

These exchanges that took place between Ganesh Naik and Prithviraj Chavan clearly indicate the kind of differences that exists between the Congress party and NCP. This can have some kind of effect on the upcoming elections.