The decision to put Dharashiv projects on hold could trigger another rift within the Mahayuti
Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik is also the district guardian minister of Dharashiv. File pic (right) Dharashiv District Collector Keerthi Kiran Pujar. Pic/X@keerthikhp
Except for a few, several projects approved by the District Planning Development Committee (DPDC) in 2024-25 for the Dharashiv district (formerly Osmanabad) have hit a roadblock following an order from the state planning department, which applied brakes on the projects for the Marathwada region, as these were yet to get state government approval or commencement orders.
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The deputy secretary of the state planning department has written to the Dharashiv district collector asking him to “immediately put on hold all works approved by the DPDC”, except for those in which administrative approval and commencement orders have been issued.
“The suspension will continue till further orders,” the letter reads. mid-day is in the possession of the letter from the planning department, dated April 1, 2025. Immediately after receiving the order, Dharashiv district collector Keerthi Kiran Pujar directed all the DPDC officials to take note of the order from the state. “No approvals should be given to any of the approved projects/work (except for those works in which administrative approval or commencement orders have been issued) till further instructions are received from the government,” reads the letter from the collector to officials.
Deputy Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde-led Shiv Sena minister Pratap Sarnaik is the district guardian minister of Dharashiv. Sarnaik also holds the transport minister portfolio in the Mahayuti (BJP, Ajit Pawar-led NCP, and Eknath Shinde’s Shiv Sena) government.
Earlier, Sarnaik and Shinde camp leaders were said to be upset with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s decision to appoint an IAS officer as the chairman of the Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC), that too allegedly without knowledge of the transport minister (read as Sarnaik). But later the decision was reversed, paving the way for Sarnaik’s appointment as the chairman of the corporation.
Since the formation of the Mahayuti government, there have been reports of internal discord between CM Fadnavis and his deputy Shinde. However, both leaders have outrightly rejected the claims of a rift. With the latest order to put Dharashiv DPDC-approved projects (not all) on hold, the issue is likely to trigger another alleged rift within the Mahayuti.
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