Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said the proposed NAINA city near Navi Mumbai International Airport is expected to generate 15 lakh jobs, including five lakh high-paying positions, and asserted locals would get first right to such employment opportunities.
Describing NAINA, or Navi Mumbai Airport Influence Notified Area, as the 'Third Mumbai', Fadnavis said the planned urban centre would emerge as a major growth engine for Maharashtra over the next 50 years.
"Of the 15 lakh jobs expected to be generated, 5 lakh would be high-paying positions, while 10 lakh would be at basic-to-intermediate levels. Our effort is to ensure the first right to these opportunities belongs to the sons and daughters of the soil," he said at an event to launch development works in NAINA and inaugurate the Uran bypass road in Raigad district.
The Navi Mumbai International Airport should not be viewed merely as an aviation facility but as an economic multiplier capable of boosting the gross domestic product of the region, he said, asserting that the next phase of GDP growth and development will come from NAINA.
Enormous opportunities will be created here, the chief minister added.
Fadnavis said Thane, Navi Mumbai, Raigad and Palghar regions would become important engines of Maharashtra's economic development over the next five decades.
"Maharashtra is the only state that has Mumbai, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, Pune, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur as different growth engines. Planned urbanisation could create wider economic and social opportunities," he said.
The chief minister acknowledged that the NAINA project had faced delays because farmers lacked confidence in the land allotment process.
Farmers had complained that while they were promised 40 per cent of the land in return for their holdings, many did not know where their developed plots would be allotted. In some cases, farmers found discrepancies when they visited the locations shown to them, he said.
"The feeling among the farmers was that injustice would be done to them once again. CIDCO would get its work done, and they would receive nothing," Fadnavis said.
He said the government had authorised CIDCO to correct errors in the final development plan, including overlapping plots, incorrect plot numbers and discrepancies in land ownership records.
"The government had decided that the foundation stone would be laid on the day farmers received their land documents. The distribution process has begun, and issues are being resolved village by village," the chief minister said.
Fadnavis praised CIDCO for publishing a booklet detailing the entitlements of project-affected people, including provisions concerning developed plots, floor space index and different categories of landowners.
Describing it as a "Gita for project-affected people", he said the publication would bring transparency to the process and help address farmers' concerns.
He assured farmers the government would remain available until their grievances were resolved.
With bridges aimed at improving connectivity to the Navi Mumbai airport and the Uran bypass, commuters would be able to travel from Worli (in central Mumbai) to the airport without encountering a traffic signal in the next six to eight months, he said, citing Atal Setu and planned connectivity projects.
Emphasising the need for adequate water supply alongside urban development, the chief minister said the government was preparing an integrated water supply plan for developing areas of Raigad and Thane districts.
"Development cannot happen only through roads, drainage lines and streetlights. Drinking water is equally important. The government will work to create drinking-water sources alongside urban infrastructure and ensure supplies to municipal corporations, municipal councils and villages in the expanding region," he said.
Fadnavis said the NAINA project marked a new beginning in the relationship between farmers, residents, CIDCO and the government.
"The project will create a new urban centre while ensuring local people benefit from its growth," he asserted.
Echoing these sentiments, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde described the day as historic for addressing long-pending issues and accelerating development in the NAINA region, noting that the Navi Mumbai International Airport and Atal Setu have transformed the trajectory of Panvel, Uran, Navi Mumbai, and Raigad by establishing seamless links with the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and national highways.
He pointed out that the state government has eliminated development fees and betterment charges for landholders while finalising freehold procedures to officially record ownership rights on property cards, ensuring that farmers and original landowners who laid the foundation of this progress reap its actual benefits.
Shinde assured that the administration is prioritising road and metro connectivity among Mumbai, Navi Mumbai, and the upcoming "Third Mumbai" to cater to infrastructural needs for the next 50 years while safeguarding local interests and employment.
Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar said that the planned development of NAINA, coupled with seamless airport connectivity, will generate employment opportunities for local youth across industrial, commercial, service, and tourism sectors, reducing the administrative and demographic burden on Mumbai.