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HomePolitics‘Doer’ Nitin Gadkari has reshaped Nagpur, but experts criticise lack of planning...

‘Doer’ Nitin Gadkari has reshaped Nagpur, but experts criticise lack of planning by govts

From the metro to road construction and upgradation of the airport, Nagpur today bears its MP and union minister Nitin Gadkari’s stamp.

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Nagpur: Minutes after exiting the Nagpur airport, one is greeted by frenzied construction activity — tall metro piers, scaffolding, labourers and machinery. Where there isn’t metro work, roads are under repair.

The people of Nagpur aren’t really accustomed to construction dust and traffic jams in their city, but they don’t seem to mind it. “Kuchh toh kaam ho raha hai (at least something is being done),” seems to be the mantra on everyone’s lips.

The city in its current shape bears the stamp of Nitin Gadkari, known to be a “doer”. The descriptor has stuck to him since about two decades ago, when he started building 50 flyovers in Mumbai and launched showpiece projects like the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the Bandra-Worli Sea Link.

Metro’s just a joyride

One of the first major projects to be introduced when Gadkari was elected the MP and the BJP came to power in 2014, is the Nagpur Metro, work on which started in June 2015.

It also helped that Devendra Fadnavis, who became Maharashtra CM in October 2014, hails from Nagpur as well, and included the project in his ‘war room’ to ensure speedy implementation.

The metro project comprises two corridors with a total length of 38 km. Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagged off the 13.5 km-long first phase from Khapri to Sitalbudi through video conferencing last month. The idea was to gift Nagpur the shiny new metro just before the elections, never mind that work on a number of stations is still underway, and is expected to be completed only by December.

The Khapri metro station wore a deserted look at about 2.30 pm Tuesday when this reporter tried to board a train. “The metro runs only three times till noon, and then three times in the evening from about 4 pm,” a security guard said.

That kind of frequency in operational form makes the Nagpur Metro more of a joyride at the moment than a regular mode of commute.

Meanwhile, Gadkari’s predecessor as Nagpur MP, Vilas Muttemwar of the Congress, claims that the credit for the metro does not belong to the union minister. “All the development works that Gadkari is showcasing are those that I initiated. The story of the Nagpur Metro is no different,” Muttemwar told ThePrint.

The project, in fact, had got the state cabinet’s approval in January 2014, when Muttemwar was Nagpur MP and there was a Congress-Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) government at the helm in Maharashtra.

‘Works worth Rs 70,000 crore’

Gadkari, who is standing for re-election against Congress’ Nana Patole, proudly tells his voters that he has got works worth Rs 70,000 crore approved for Nagpur.

A number of roads are being re-made with concrete. The entire 45-km-long ring road around Nagpur is being concretised at a cost of Rs 450 crore. Besides, work on a Rs 1,700-crore outer ring road is also underway.

“One of Gadkari’s favourite topics is cement roads. He believes that they are long-lasting, require less maintenance and are a good solution to get rid of potholes,” Jayant Pathak, regional director at the All India Institute of Local Self Government.

“But they come at a cost to the environment. Cement roads lead to rising temperatures, there are a number of trees that need to be cut. The project authorities must have studied all these factors in feasibility reports.”

Over the last five years, the central and state governments have brought a number of institutions to Nagpur, such as the Indian Institute of Management, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, the Pune-based deemed university Symbiosis International and so on.

Among other plans for the city are a broad-gauge metro to connect Nagpur with other Vidarbha towns such as Wardha, Savner, Nagbhid, Gondia and Narkhed, upgradation of the Nagpur International Airport, and a 50-metre-tall musical fountain.


Also read: Nagpur believes Nitin Gadkari could be PM — if not now, then surely someday


No continuity in planning, say experts

Experts say while a lot of work has definitely been done, it does not necessarily fit the definition of ‘sound’ urban planning, and there is a lack of continuity in the work of successive governments.

For instance, Anusuya Kale Chhabrani, president of Nagpur-based Swachha Association, pointed out that a 15-year-old flyover on Wardha Road was demolished in 2016 to make way for a double-decker flyover to carry conventional traffic as well as a metro corridor. The Tekdi flyover near the railway station will soon meet the same fate.

“Whenever a new government comes, it brings in its ego and doesn’t bother to see the previous government’s work and mistakes,” Chhabrani said.

“If these flyovers were not technically required, why were they built in the first place? It’s a waste of taxpayers’ money. There is no doubt that Gadkari is a people’s person and that he wants development. But the larger problem is the absence of long-term planning.”

Pathak, meanwhile, said: “Gadkari has a lot of ideas and gets work done. But generally, in our cities, long-term urban planning is largely absent. Integrated thinking is necessary.”


Also read: ‘Flyover minister’ doesn’t need Modi support for re-election. Name Gadkari is good enough


 

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8 COMMENTS

  1. It is human attitude, never satisfied, imagine when u were in need n waiting, waited for 60yrs n now when got instead of being satisfied looking for mistakes
    Pls this attitude needs change …… When u cld wait for so long now give sometime to the Modi govt to satisfy the req first , will do the planning also

  2. In my opinion BRT is a economically viable and practical solution for fastest road transport at reasonable tarrif with good approach to commuters in the thickly populated locality. I have observed it efficiently working at Ahmedabad.Pune BRT was a failure exercise due to lack of political Will and undue interference by PMC and most undisciplined autos and two wheeler commuters who practically encroached upon entire BRT corridors.Why should we blame the person doing something
    to improve public transport.

  3. Gadkari & Phadnavis are somehow able to get Rs.70,000 crores of works and complete and launch Nagpur Metro within 5 years whereas the same Gadkari who is the Union Minister responsible for transport has blocked Vijayawada Metro approvals, blocked Vijayawada flyover approvals, blocked Visakhapatnam metro approvals etc.
    Please note that he blocked the approvals, even though state government has found financing for the projects from sources other than the Central government.
    So, what do we make of this behaviour? How is it that Bangalore gets announcement for a fresh new Metro just before Karnataka state elections and Nagpur gets 70,000 crores of work while a newly formed state without even a capital is allotted merely 4000 crores over 5 years to build a new capital?

  4. As such who is wasting 70000crores-now tax payers has to pay for costly rides!
    Gadkari or fadnavis can’t foerce autos to travel by meter in cities other than pune, thane & mumbai, why?
    People r not thinking of the huge cost they have to pay.
    So it is necessary to strengthen the city public transport rather than the costly metro.

    • Metro is part of public transport. For any place to develop, infrastructure development is necessary. Agree with you on Nagpur auto wala. They charge huge for even small distances. But our city needs leaders like Gadkari and fadanvis.

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