Fadnavis lays foundation stones in Naina area, says 15 lakh jobs targeted around Navi Mumbai airport

The planned development in Naina, the Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area, aims to create about 15 lakh jobs, of which five lakh will be higher-paying. Priority in the opportunities created will go to the sons of the soil.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the "Third Mumbai" would become Maharashtra's new growth engine by winning the trust of farmers and making them partners in development. According to him, modern infrastructure and good communication systems will play a major role.

At a function at Shirdhon in Panvel taluka, Fadnavis laid the foundation stones for development works in the Naina area. He also inaugurated key connectivity projects built for the eastern connection of Navi Mumbai International Airport, including SBR-9, BR-4, BR-5 and the Uran bypass bridge. On the occasion, he also handed over property documents to landowners.

Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Sunetra Ajit Pawar, Guardian Minister Bharat Gogawale, Zilla Parishad president Mangesh Wakadikar, and MPs Shrirang Barne, Sunil Tatkare and Atul Patil were present. Former MP Ramsheth Thakur and MLAs Niranjan Davkhare, Aniket Tatkare, Dnyaneshwar Mhatre, Vikrant Patil, Prashant Thakur, Ravindra Patil, Mahesh Baldi and Mahendra Dalvi also attended. Also present were Panvel Municipal Corporation mayor Nitin Patil, District Collector Kishan Jawale, Chief Executive Officer Neha Bhosale, CIDCO Vice Chairman and Managing Director Ashwin Mudgal, Joint Managing Director Shantanu Goyal, Raja Dayanidhi, Ganesh Deshmukh and Chief Administrative Officer Suresh Mengde.

Fadnavis said Navi Mumbai International Airport is not just an airport but an important factor driving the economic development of the whole region. An integrated development plan is being prepared so that the area influenced by the airport is developed in a planned and time-bound manner. The area is also being developed in a planned way through a town planning scheme, which is giving a further push to job creation.

It was decided to lay the foundation stones for development works only after land documents were handed to landowners. Accordingly, the process of village-wise counting, plot identification, ownership records and preparing necessary documents is being taken forward. Fadnavis assured landowners that the state government would stand by them until their problems were resolved.

He said development of the Naina area does not mean only building roads, buildings and urban settlements. Providing jobs, water supply and other basic facilities is also part of it. Through concepts such as Edu City, Medi City, Sports City, Aero City and Knowledge City, many kinds of economic and social opportunities will be created in the area. Fadnavis expressed confidence that Naina would give a new direction to the development of Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, Raigad, Thane and Palghar.

Several growth centres are coming up in Maharashtra, including the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur. On this basis, the Thane, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Palghar areas will become important engines of the state's economic growth in the coming period, and will be major centres. This development was carried out by taking the sons of the soil along and protecting their interests.