Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar on Monday said that the Vadhvan port in the state will be operational by 2030. He added that the third airport for Mumbai is proposed and a station of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train will also be near the Vadhvan port.
Pawar, who is also the finance minister of the state was presenting Maharashtra's annual budget. "Vadhvan port in Palghar will be operational by 2030," said Ajit Pawar.
Besides giving the big update on Vadhvan port, Pawar even gave an update on the Mahayuti government's flagship Ladki Bahin scheme.
Ajit Pawar told the legislative assembly that the Fadnavis government's proposed total outlay for the scheme is ₹36,000 crore for 2025-26, around ₹10,000 crore less than last year. Last year, the state government earmarked ₹46,000 crore for the scheme.
Going ahead, said that in the coming year, a total of 64.4 km of metro lines, 41.2 km in Mumbai and 23.2 km in Pune, will be commissioned.
Ajit Pawar even said that the land acquisition process for the 760-km long Pawanar-Patradevi Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Highway, worth ₹86,300 crore, is in progress.
The 14-km Swatantryaveer Savarkar Sea Bridge between Bandra and Versova, costing Rs 18,120 crore, is expected to finish by May 2028. A longer, 55-km project linking Uttan to Virar will follow at a cost of Rs 87,427 crore.
The work of the metro to link Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport to Navi Mumbai International Airport will be taken up soon, the Deputy CM stated.
In the next five years, 237.5 km of metro lines will be launched. The first phase of the 40 km Nagpur Metro is complete, while the second phase, costing Rs 6,708 crore and spanning 43.80 km, is underway.
The Central Government has also approved the Thane Circular Metro Line and the Pune Swargate to Katraj Extension Line. Additionally, a proposal for two routes—Khadakwasla - Swargate - Hadapsar - Kharadi and Nal Stop - Warje - Manikbag—under Pune Metro Rail Phase-2, estimated at Rs 9,897 crore, has been submitted for Central Government approval.
Furthermore, Pawar announced that the Fadnavis government has decided to develop the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) as a 'growth hub'. As part of this vision, seven economic development centres are to created at 7 locations -- Bandra-Kurla Complex, Kurla-Worli, Wadala, Goregaon, Navi Mumbai, Kharghar and Virar-Boisar.
Pawar said that the objective of this initiative is to take MMR region's economy from the current $140 billion to $300 billion in 2030 and $1.5 trillion by 2047. He also noted that Maharashtra's new industrial policy will focus on ₹40 lakh crore investment and generate 50 lakh jobs.
The Deputy CM also stated that Maharashtra will have a new health and senior citizens policy. Pawar even mentioned in his speech that the Maharashtra government will build a memorial at Agra from where Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj escaped from Mughal custody.