Ahead of a special cabinet meeting, opposition leaders demand accountability from the Maharashtra government over pledges made for the Marathwada region in 2016 that remain unimplemented.
Opposition leaders in Maharashtra are seeking answers from the state government concerning unfulfilled promises made for the Marathwada region. The questions come ahead of a special cabinet meeting scheduled in Aurangabad on September 16. This meeting is set to discuss issues relevant to Marathwada and aims to find solutions to them.
Marathwada, a region comprising eight districts, was liberated from the Hyderabad Nizam’s rule on September 17, 1948. As the 75th anniversary of this freedom struggle approaches, leaders from the opposition are questioning the state government’s commitment to the area.
Ambadas Danve, the Leader of Opposition in the legislative council, criticized the government for failing to deliver on promises made during the last cabinet meeting in Aurangabad in 2016. At that time, Devendra Fadnavis, belonging to the BJP, was the Chief Minister. According to Danve, works worth Rs 49,020 crore had been announced for the region.
Among the unfulfilled promises, Danve highlighted the “incomplete memorial” of Shiv Sena founder late Bal Thackeray in Aurangabad. He also brought attention to delays in a museum project at Ter in Osmanabad and the pending development of Mhaismal village in the Ellora mountain ranges.
Danve questioned the government about a dairy scheme for 1,000 villages that was never executed and said land for a textile park in Parbhani district is yet to be identified. He also pointed out that the Beed-Parli-Ahmednagar railway line is incomplete. Before making new promises, Danve urged the government to shed more light on past commitments.
AIMIM leader Imtiaz Jaleel also voiced his concerns. In a press conference, he said a meeting hall worth Rs 40 crore was proposed in Aurangabad but never built. He also claimed that no funds were allocated to a rural education and research institute named after BJP leader Gopinath Munde. Furthermore, he mentioned that the local administration failed to submit a proposal to declare Aurangabad a World Heritage city.
Jaleel added that despite promises to increase staffing levels for caste verification at the district level, these offices are currently operating at only 50% capacity.
As the special cabinet meeting in Aurangabad draws near, these questions from the opposition put additional pressure on the Maharashtra government to not just make promises but to also follow through on them. This growing scrutiny serves as a reminder that unfulfilled pledges have real-world impacts on the lives of citizens.