Thread by @MandarSawant184

Compare the policies of Fadnavis and Uddhav. Fadnavis went by the adage " Teach a poor man to fish and he will learn how to feed his stomach for ever".

Fadnavis started work on the ambitious Mumbai metro network that inter-connects literally whole of Mumbai

The metro network also connects the various suburbs of Thane district like Kalyan, Dombivali, Mira Road, Bhayander to various parts of Mumbai. Infact, the best part is the metro connectivity along the Borivali-Thane Ghodbunder road that has seen huge population increase

So the Mumbaikar or Thanekar can beat the crowd local trains and heavy traffic to cut on his/her travel time and have a better quality of life. Multiple metro routes are also planned in Pune and Nagpur and are in multiple stages of execution. Some are functional as well

Uddhav govt went by Delhi state governance model and announced no property tax for houses up to 500 sq feet. They also launched Shiv Thali, a Rs 10 meal across MH. Though the scheme is laudable, it seems Uddhav's route to governance is "Govt will give fish to the poor man to eat"

Uddhav govt does not have any focus on infra, except coastal road that is being built by the BMC. Even for the coastal road, Fadnavis had helped get the environmental and other permissions. Metro 3 which is like the central most nerve of the metro network in Mumbai is delayed

Every day that passes without decision on Metro 3 yard/depot in Aarey milk colony costs crores in loss to MMRC. It needs to be observed how the pace of infra projects like TransHarbour link, Mumbai-Nagpur expressway, Mumbai-Goa highway, started in Fadnavis's tenure proceeds

Fadnavis govt had started JalYukt Shivar a micro irrigation scheme that planned to make villages water self sufficient by creating structures in villages that retain rain water and help in increasing ground level. The scheme has touched approx 12,000+ drought hit villages in MH

Uddhav govt closed JalYukt Shivar on the pretext of corruption complaints and some cases of sub standard work by contractors. Kindly keep in context the expenditure on JalYukt Shivar in last 5 years. 9,500 crores were spent as against 70,000 crore to build dams (in Cong-UPA era)

While the irrigation scam in that era hardly helped increase area under irrigation by 1%, JalYukt Shivar has helped thousands of villages and reduced the strain on using dam water for farms.Probably Uddhav govt wants to send home delivery of water via tanker lobby (NCP dominated)

Sena, MNS, NCP are among the short sighted politicians who oppose the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train, but these same people will cry for the bullet train to be expanded to Mumbai, Pune and even Baramati (so Shakuni Kaka and daughter can visit Parliament easily) one day

That day will come when the union government commences work on the Ahmedabad-Delhi bullet train route. The ability to have long term vision separates Fadnavis (and Modi) from Uddhav, Raj and even Shakuni Kaka (sorry to say but 60 years in politics hasn't broadened his vision)

So while Uddhav scrambles to name project after project after the Late Balasaheb Thackeray and his grandfather Prabodhankar Thackeray, he seems to have not inherited long term vision from his father. Balasaheb had pushed the Mumbai-Pune expressway and his backing helped Gadkari

The impact a railway project or an expressway project has on a region is felt by the people later. But smart politicians push such projects, occasionally enduring barbs from the same janata that enjoys the fruits later

Konkan railway helped the districts of Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg immensely over the last 30 years. It was opposed by politicians and people with narrow visions. But Prof Madhu Dandavate, George Fernandes and E Sreedharan completed an engineering marvel through the ghats

Now the same people of Konkan were eager to get their land taken over for Mumbai-Goa expressway doubling (of course attractive compensation as well). The same people are opposing the giant refinery being built with Saudi Aramco collaboration in Nanar, Ratnagiri

Local politicians should have allayed their fears about pollution and eduacted them on benefits to the region. But Sena and local Cong/NCP opposed the project, as it was mooted by Modi government. Now NCP MP Sunil Tatkare is more than happy to get it shifted to Raigad district

The people and Sena leaders of Ratnagiri would cry lack of development in years to come, while Raigad district enjoys the benefits of the giant west coast refinery project.
If not for the compulsions of electoral politics (tieup wih Sena in LS 2019), Fadnavis would have pushed it

Fadnavis would have endured barbs from perpetual whiner Sena and local public, knowing that the common people/voters understand the benefit of a project much later

Fadnavis would have ensured that his govt works in tandem with Modi government and gets the development of MH done. For example, the state govt started a MH Rail Corporation which collaborated with IR to build the Kolhapur- Vaibhavwadi (Sindhudurg) railway route.

Work is in progress and this will provide port connectivity to Western MH (esp Kolhapur and Sangli). New ports under Sagarmala project would be built just 50 km from Vaibhavwadi, along the Arabian sea.Would help factories in Western MH to export goods/ get imported raw material

Let us see if Uddhav plans any new routes or even manages to complete the existing work started by his predecessor. Shiv thali and farm loan waiver (that too incomplete) can help for a year, but beyond that your developmental work will help. And infra projects help the most

Cities are slowly moving towards voting on infra issues in vidhan sabha and municipality elections. Fadnavis realized that and the amount of infra projects he started in Mumbai-Thane, Pune and Nagpur are staggering. Even a mini metro was being planned for Nashik

Fadnavis's dream of $1 trillion economy for Maharashtra (GSDP) will stay a dream now. Uddhav has shown no inclination to dream on those lines for now.Currently his govt is running as per the wishes and whims of two people,
1. Shakuni Kaka Baramatikar
2. Env min Penguin Thackeray

Huge impact projects like the Marathwada water grid project and plans to provide water to Marathwada from rivers in the Konkan (where excess water is flowing into the sea) are at extreme risk of being stopped.

Fadnavis's dream of "Next generation of Marathwada wont know drought" will remain just that a dream. Last monsoon showed us how the plan is possible. Marathwada received less rains, but heavy rains in Nashik and Nagar districts caused the excess flow in Godavari river

This water flowed to the catchment area of the largest dam in Marathwada Jayakwadi (in Phaltan near Aurangabad) and the huge dam which rarely fills up was 100% full. Infact water had to be released from the dam, a thing that happens very very rarely

Fadnavis govt ensured that Marathwada, Vidarbha, North Maharashtra and Konkan received their fair share of development projects. The Congress-NCP had ignored these regions, except their own fiefdoms

Imagine a respected MH newspaper @mataonline (from the Times Group) gave a headline "Blow to Fadnavis as MVA stops JalYukt Shivar" as if Fadnavis was using the water for own purposes.
Also another news grabbed attention and will cause agitations in coming days

@mataonline Excess water from one of the canals of Neera-Devghar dam was being diverted to Baramati for years. Fadnavis govt diverted it drought prone areas of Madha, Maan, Sangola (Satara and Solapur districts).
MVA govt probably on Kaka's prodding has diverted the water back to Baramati