Gosikhurd Project's Deadline Pushed To 2027 As Cost Spirals
1
2
Nagpur: The Maharashtra govt has once again extended the deadline for the completion of the long-pending Gosikhurd Indira Sagar Project , now pushing its final timeline to 2027. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis confirmed to TOI that while all existing works would be wrapped up by Sept 2026, remaining proposed works will follow and conclude by the end of 2027. Earlier, the govt had set a 2025 deadline for the project.The project, launched by former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1988 with an original cost estimate of Rs372 crore, has seen repeated delays and is now projected to cost nearly Rs26,000 crore. A revised administrative approval of Rs25,972.69 crore was sanctioned by the Maharashtra Cabinet on April 21, aiming to accelerate the stalled progress.Constructed on the Wainganga River in Bhandara district, the multipurpose irrigation project is being executed by the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation (VIDC). Designed to benefit approximately 1.96 lakh hectares of farmland across Bhandara, Nagpur, and Chandrapur districts, it also includes provisions for drinking water, industrial supply, fisheries, and hydroelectric generation.Fadnavis, who earlier claimed in the state assembly in April 2024 that the project would be completed by 2025, reiterated that the delays were primarily due to the inefficiency of previous Congress govts. "This project could have transformed irrigation in Vidarbha, but persistent neglect by previous Congress govts delayed it," he had said in the assembly.Documents obtained through an RTI filed by activist Abhay Kolarkar previously revealed that despite being declared a national project and receiving approval from the Central Water Commission's Technical Advisory Committee in 2008, the VIDC created only limited irrigation potential. Originally intended to irrigate 1.90 lakh hectares and projected to create potential for 2.5 lakh hectares, the project was supposed to be completed by 2014.Multiple sources within the irrigation department have pointed to systemic corruption, political interference, and poor fund allocation as reasons behind the project's stagnation. The Gosikhurd project is widely cited as an example of how mismanagement has turned a potentially transformative development into a financial burden.Launched in February 1981 and touted as a harbinger of agricultural revival for Vidarbha — a region long plagued by droughts, debt, and farmer suicides — the project has failed to meet expectations more than four decades later. The latest extension is seen as yet another attempt to breathe life into a scheme that once promised a green revolution in Maharashtra's most distressed farming belt.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hans India
36 minutes ago
- Hans India
SC judge recuses from hearing transfer petition of Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti
New Delhi: A Supreme Court judge on Thursday recused himself from hearing a plea filed by Madhya Pradesh Congress MLA Rajendra Bharti seeking transfer of a criminal case outside the state. After Justice Manmohan withdrew himself from hearing, the bench headed by Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra referred the transfer petition to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), who is the master of roster, for listing the matter before a different bench. In the meantime, the bench ordered extension of the interim order passed in the petition seeking transfer of the alleged cheating case outside Madhya Pradesh. In February this year, the apex court stayed the proceedings pending before the Additional Sessions Judge in Gwalior, observing that there was enough material placed on record before the trial court containing an allegation that the defence witnesses were sought to be intimidated. "The trial court should have also taken appropriate action on the basis of the material. (W)hen we made repeated queries to the learned AAG (Additional Advocate General) and the learned counsel appearing for the respondent-State (of Madhya Pradesh), they have no answer to the question of what inquiry or investigation the state has made on the basis of the allegations made by the petitioner (Rajendra Bharti)," it said. In its order, the Supreme Court had stressed the duty of the state machinery to ensure that a fair trial is conducted. "We must record that it is the duty of the State to ensure that a fair trial is conducted. Fair trial means that full opportunity is granted in accordance with law to the accused to defend himself," it had said. After the top court's observations, a committee of three police officials was constituted to inquire into the allegations of intimidation of defence witnesses. However, the Supreme Court, in an order passed in April this year, said that "proper investigation has not been made" into the allegations of putting pressure on the defence witnesses. "We expected the officers appointed by the State to look into each and every allegation made by the petitioner as well as by the witnesses and record findings. It is the duty of the State to ensure that there is a fair trial, which is an essential part of the rights guaranteed under Article 21 of the Constitution of India." Listing the matter for further hearing on May 16, the apex court told the state officials to carry out a "better investigation" and called for a report within one month. In the 2023 Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls, Rajendra Bharti won the Datia seat of Gwalior-Chambal region, defeating senior BJP leader Narottam Mishra, who held the portfolio of Home Minister in the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
40 minutes ago
- First Post
Why Elon Musk's apology to Trump was a good business decision
Last week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk claimed that Donald Trump, whom he endorsed for president and gave hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions, was part of the files linked to Jeffrey Epstein. This week, Musk has backed down, saying his posts against Trump 'went too far'. Post the apology, Tesla shares rose, and Musk's net worth increased by $191 million read more Tesla CEO Elon Musk has backtracked this week, apologising and saying his posts against Donald Trump 'went too far'. AP Last week, Elon Musk made a serious allegation against US President Donald Trump. The Tesla CEO and richest man in the world claimed that Trump, who he endorsed for president and to whom he gave hundreds of millions of dollars in campaign contributions, was part of the files linked to Jeffrey Epstein. Epstein, the disgraced financier and convicted sex offender, killed himself in prison in 2019. However, Musk quickly backtracked this week, apologising and saying his posts against 'went too far'. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Musk's apology also came ahead of a major product launch for Tesla next week. But how did the feud escalate? And how has his apology has been good for business? Let's take a closer look How the feud escalated It began with Trump and Musk having a fallout over the Republican president's 'big, beautiful bill'. 'I'm sorry, but I just can't stand it anymore. This massive, outrageous, pork-filled Congressional spending bill is a disgusting abomination. Shame on those who voted for it: you know you did wrong. You know it,' Musk wrote on X on June 3. Trump, two days later, during a meeting in the Oval Office with Germany's new leader, said he was 'very disappointed' with Musk's comments. 'Elon knew the inner workings of this bill better than almost anybody sitting here,' Trump said. 'Elon and I had a great relationship. I don't know if we will anymore.' 'He hasn't said bad about me personally, but I'm sure that will be next,' Trump said. 'But I'm very disappointed in Elon. I've helped Elon a lot.' 'False,' Musk hit back immediately on X even as Trump continued to speak. 'This bill was never shown to me even once and was passed in the dead of night so fast that almost no one in Congress could even read it!' STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD When Trump further said he would have 'won Pennsylvania easily' without Musk's help, The Tesla CEO responded immediately. Musk, remember, spend hundreds of millions of dollars to elect Trump including a $1 million a day giveaway in Pennsylvania. Musk responded that Trump would have lost the election without him and that the Democrats would control both the House and the Senate. Donald Trump said he was 'very disappointed' with Elon Musk. Reuters 'The Big Ugly Bill will INCREASE the deficit to $2.5 trillion!' Musk added. Musk then put up a poll asking his followers if it was time to create a new political party – one that represented the 80 per cent of Americans in the middle. Musk then pointed out that he would be around for a lot longer than Trump. 'Oh and some food for thought as they ponder this question: Trump has 3.5 years left as President, but I will be around for 40+ years…' Trump then launched an all-out assault on Musk. 'I asked him to leave, I took away his EV Mandate that forced everyone to buy Electric Cars that nobody else wanted (that he knew for months I was going to do!), and he just went CRAZY!' Trump wrote on social media. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Trump also threatened Musk's government subsidies and contracts. He wrote, 'The easiest way to save money in our Budget, Billions and Billions of Dollars, is to terminate Elon's Governmental Subsidies and Contracts. I was always surprised that Biden didn't do it!' 'Such an obvious lie. So sad,' Musk responded. Then came the big bombshell accusation. Musk claimed Trump appeared in the Jeffrey Epstein files . 'Files linked to the investigation of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein have emerged as a point of fixation for Trump and his allies and right-wing media figures,' Musk wrote. 'Time to drop the really big bomb: Donald Trump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.' 'Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out,' Musk added. On June 6, the White House claimed that the two men were said to have a phone call to clear the air. However, Trump, in his usual fashion put paid to that telling ABC he was 'not particularly' interested in speaking to Musk. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD 'I'm not even thinking about Elon. He's got a problem. The poor guy's got a problem,' Trump said. Musk backs down Trump's threats against Musk's subsidies and government contracts seemed to have worked. Musk on Wednesday back down from his claims. 'I regret some of my posts about President @realDonaldTrump last week. They went too far,' Musk wrote on X early Wednesday morning. This came after Musk made a private phone call to Trump. The development came after Musk and Trump allies including Vice President J Dance and White House Chief Suzie Wiles privately met to discuss a truce. SpaceX headquarters is shown in Hawthorne, California. The company receives billions of dollars in revenue every year in government contracts. Reuters Trump, for his part, appeared pacified by the apology. 'I thought it was very nice that he did that,' Trump told the New York Post. 'Look, I have no hard feelings,' Trump said. 'I was really surprised that that happened. He went after a bill that's phenomenal. …He just — I think he feels very badly that he said that, actually.' 'The President acknowledged the statement that Elon put out this morning and he is appreciative of it and we are continuing to focus on the business of the American people,' the White House said in a statement. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD How has Musk's apology been good for business? According to Forbes, Musk's net worth rose to $411.4 billion after the apology – an increase of $191 million. This came as, Tesla's shares, which had tanked 14 per cent in the middle of the feud, gained around 1 per cent on Wednesday. The spat between the two men had caused Musk around $34 billion of his net worth – which makes given that SpaceX and Tesla, which form a huge chunk of his net worth, are hugely dependent on government contracts and subsidies. Investors in Musk's companies would now be heaving a sigh of relief after his apology to Trump. Now, with both men seemingly on a path to reconciliation, Musk can keep financing Trump and the Republicans' political ambitions and the government money can keep flowing for both SpaceX and Tesla. With inputs from agencies
Hindustan Times
an hour ago
- Hindustan Times
Centre restricting public access to election document, alleges Pawan Khera
Congress leader Pawan Khera on Thursday alleged that the BJP-led NDA government has restricted public access to election documents, just 11 days after a Punjab and Haryana High Court order demanding transparency. Khera, who is the Chairman of the the party's Media and Publicity Department, claimed that on December 9 last year, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the Election Commission to share CCTV footage and Form 17C records from the Haryana elections, leading to the Election Commission of India (ECI) writing to the Law Ministry proposing changes to Rule 93 of the Conduct of Election Rules, arguing that allowing inspection of "all other papers" created an "administrative burden". In a post on X, Pawan Khera further claimed that by December 20 last year, the rule was amended and notified. He said that the phrase "all other papers relating to the election shall be open to public inspection" was replaced with "all other papers as specified in these rules", quietly narrowing public access. "The government has quietly restricted public access to election documents, just 11 days after a High Court order demanding transparency. On Dec 9, 2024, the Punjab & Haryana High Court directed the Election Commission to share CCTV footage and Form 17C records from the Haryana elections, he said on social media platform X, based on an article. The Congress leader claimed that the amendment created a legal "ambiguity" and contradicted the original intent of the rule in place since 1961. "The amendment effectively blocks access to CCTV footage, video recordings, and other electronic records, none of which are 'specified' in the old rulebook. He said the amendment was done after the High Court ordered the release of those materials. "The timing and speed, just 11 days from court order to notification, are notable," Khera added. Stating that India faces a crisis of electoral trust, he noted recent government steps, such as limiting VVPAT verification to just five machines per Assembly segment. He also pointed out that CCTV and webcast recordings from polling stations are now out of reach. "Public inspection rights, once guaranteed by Rule 93(2), have been diluted without public debate or Parliamentary scrutiny," Khera stated. This came days after Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called upon the Election Commission to publish consolidated, digital, machine-readable voter rolls for the most recent elections to the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas of all states, including Maharashtra, saying that "telling the truth" will protect the poll panel's credibility. On Monday, Maharashtra's Chief Electoral Officer released a statement saying that electoral rolls are revised annually and are distributed to various recognised parties free of cost during the election cycle. "Electoral rolls are revised annually through a participatory exercise. During this annual exercise, the electoral rolls are shared, free of cost, with recognised political parties, including the INC, first at the draft stage and a second time after its finalisation. The similar exercise was done in 2009, 2014, 2019, and 2024, and copies of such electoral rolls were then shared with the INC, as well as other political parties," an official statement from Maharashtra's CEO said.
