State cabinet approves Rs 4,802 crore water grid for Beed

MUMBAI: With the code of conduct for the Maharashtra Assembly polls just a few days away, the Maharashtra government cleared 19 decisions in the weekly state cabinet meeting held on Tuesday.

The government cleared the Rs 4,802-crore water grid project for Beed in Marathwada under the hybrid annuity model. The project is the state government’s effort to provide water to the drought-hit region through an elaborate network of pipelines.

The state government had earlier cleared the decks for bids to lay pipelines in Aurangabad and Jalna in Marathwada. The contract was for Rs 4,293 crore. The state government has promised in its poll campaign that it would provide parched Marathwada with water in the next five years. The state government’s go-ahead to the project may enable the BJP to convey its seriousness towards tackling water scarcity in the region.

In other major decision aimed at easing traffic woes in Mumbai, the state has decided to opt for an ‘Intelligent Traffic Management System’ at a cost of Rs 841 crore. The state officials said that under the proposed system, the signalling system will be upgraded to ensure smooth traffic flow. Currently, signals in the city run on an automated basis, which fails to take into account the traffic volume at a given time.

State Assembly polls are due in October-November and the code of conduct is set to come into force around September 2. The state government is announcing a number of sops with this timeline in mind.