With the new Maharashtra government headed by Uddhav Thackeray pledging to prioritise farmers' issues and grassroot level development,  the fate of some of fancy and marquee infrastructure projects being implemented by the former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is likely to have an uncertain future.  Key focus areas of the new state government in their common minimum programme (CMP) are farmers' issues, unemployment, health, industry, social justice, women, education, urban development, tourism art and culture. Already, leaders of the new coalition government have indicated that populist measures such as loan waiver for farmers, meal at Rs 10 and unemployment income for youths are round the corner. Although some leaders in the new coalition have suggested that the government is unlikely to compromise on the infrastructure agenda, some of the projects mooted by the previous Fadnavis government may lose priority.

Bullet train

Prime among them is the Bullet Train project connecting Mumbai and Ahmadabad, the country's first ever bullet train project to be developed at a cost of Rs 1.08 lakh crore. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe had jointly laid foundation stone for the project on September 14, 2017. The Bullet Train project, expected to cut travel time between Mumbai and Ahmadabad to just three hours, is to be funded 81 per cent by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). The remaining fund has to be from state governments of Maharashtra and Gujarat. Fadnavis government's commitment for the project was about Rs 5,000 crore and after two years, the project is still in land acquisition stage. Around 150 kilometers has to be constructed in the state of Maharashtra. Sources say half the land required for the project has been acquired so far, but it is mostly in Gujarat. Some of the ruling Shiv Sena leaders have already expressed their opposition to the project, citing it would benefit only the rich and mainly the diamond traders from Gujarat. They say money for such projects should be routed for farmer loan waiver as the state has debt of nearly Rs 5 lakh crore.

Mumbai nagpur expressway

Mumbai Nagpur Super Communication Expressway, also known as 'Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg', a pet project of former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis is another project that may be pushed to the backburner. This 701-kilometer long eight lane expressway connects Fadnavis' home turf Nagpur and Mumbai within eight hours. A total 24,255-acre land has to be acquired for the project across 10 districts and in many places, farmers were reluctant to give their land. The Rs 46,000-crore project, of which around Rs 26,000 crore is to construct the expressway, is being funded by a consortium of banks. The project was initially slated for commissioning by October this year, but was pushed to 2022 later. Sources said before state elections, only one-fourth of the road construction was complete. The project also envisages to develop marketing centres for farm produce, tourism centres and modern townships on both sides of the highway.

Mumbai-Pune hyperloop

One of the first of its kinds next generation mobility project in the world, the Mumbai-Pune Hyperloop is to link Pune with Mumbai in under 35 minutes, from the current over 3.5-hour road travel. Conceptually, the hyperloop is a magnetically-propelled capsule or pod with passengers or cargo and travels through a low-pressure tube at over 1,000 kilometres per hour. Virgin Hyperloop One, headed by Virgin group founder Richard Branson, was the first company to test the technology in May 2016. Hyperloops are also planned in Dubai. There are four-five such routes in the US and some other Indian states have also shown interest.   

Although it is still at an experimental stage - wherein the speed has not gone beyond 300-400 kilometres per hour and human beings are yet to travel in a Hyperloop - the Maharashtra government has decided to implement the fancy project at an expense of about Rs 70,000 crore, after Pune Metropolitan Region Development Authority (PMRDA) did a feasibility assessment. The state cabinet gave the mandate to build the Hyperloop to a consortium of DP World FZE and Hyperloop Technologies as 'proponents of the original project'. It may take seven years for construction from the 'zero date'. Fadnavis himself had visited the Virgin Hyperloop's facility in the US for initial discussions and later, on July 31, the state cabinet gave final nod and deemed the project as a "public infrastructure" project. The project will "generate hundreds of thousands of new high-tech jobs, create over $36 billion in wider socio-economic benefits, and create new hyperloop component and manufacturing opportunities to export to India and the rest of the world," a July 31 press release says. In the pilot phase, the project is to begin in 11.8 kilometers in Pune city at a cost of Rs 5,000 crore.

Other big infra projects

Some of the long-pending big infra projects in the pipeline such as the Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA), the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link (MTHL), Coastal Road, Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL), Shivaji statue, Eastern Waterfront and Virar Alibaugh multi-modal industrial corridor were fast-tracked by the Fadnavis government over the past five years. Now it is to be seen whether the coalition Sena-NCP-Congress government will continue to give thrust to these projects for completion as per the current deadline.  With the Bombay Municipal Corporation (BMC) elections to happen in two years, expectations are that the various metro projects being implemented in the city would continue to get the priority. Most of these projects have international funding arrangements.

The government on Wednesday withdrew the J&K Reservation Bill from the Lok Sabha as central laws providing quota to the economically backward class are now applicable to the union territory post repeal of special provisions under Article 370.

The Jammu and Kashmir Reservation (Amendment) Bill 2019, was introduced in Lok Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah on June 24.

The Bill was brought to amend the Jammu and Kashmir Reservation Act, 2004 and replace an Ordinance promulgated on March 1.

The Act provided for reservation in appointment and promotions in certain state government posts to persons belonging to socially and educationally backward classes.

It defined socially and educationally backward classes to include persons living in areas adjoining the Actual Line of Control. The Bill amended this to include those persons living in areas adjoining the International Border, within the ambit of this reservation.

However, with the Centre repealing the special provisions of Article 370, the central laws will now be applicable to the union territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

Opposing the withdrawal of the bill, TMC's Saugata Roy said the rule states that the minister should withdraw the bill citing reasons.

"Since Jammu and Kashmir is a sensitive issue, the minister should clear the issue," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's bullet train project between Ahmedabad in Gujarat and Mumbai may be scrapped if the Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress take power in Maharashtra.

The Shiv Sena-NCP-Congress alliance that is looking to form a government in the state is considering to scrap India's first bullet train project and withhold Maharashtra's share of expenditure to the Rs. 1 lakh crore project, highly placed.

PM Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had jointly laid the foundation stone for the bullet train project in Ahmedabad in September 2017. Japan is giving a loan of Rs. 88,000 crore for the project at a minimal interest of 0.1 per cent.

"If the project has to go ahead, the centre should bear all cost of it. Maharashtra won't expend on the bullet train project," a senior Congress leader said.

Farmers' welfare and a blanket farm loan waiver is also on the cards, the senior Congress leader, requesting anonymity, said.

A senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) source told news agency IANS that "during the first meeting of the three parties in Mumbai last week, discussions were held on the Ahmedabad-Mumbai bullet train project in which we informed the leaders that according to central government, the Maharashtra government would be bearing Rs. 5,000 crore of the total Rs. 1.08 lakh crore cost."

"And then we came to a conclusion that once we form the government in the state then we will inform the Central government that the state government will not bear the cost of the high speed train project and will spend the same money on some other pro-people schemes," he was quoted as saying.

The project for the 508-km Ahmedabad-Mumbai high speed train that will run at a maximum speed of 350 km per hour was slated to be completed by 2023.

The National High Speed Railway Corporation (NHSRCL), which is responsible for the construction, has, till date, acquired over 48 per cent of the land for the project and also floated tenders for several works.

The Shiv Sena, the NCP and the Congress may announce an alliance today to form a government in Maharashtra led by Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, after a series of meetings in Mumbai. The alliance will call itself the "Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (Maharashtra development front)". The new government is likely to be in place by early December.

Protests broke out in both houses of parliament today over electoral bonds and privatisation of public sector units (PSUs), leading to interim Congress President Sonia Gandhi leading a walkout in the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha being adourned till noon. The Congress, which called both issues "big scams", accused the government of "making corruption official". The protests in the Lok Sabha, which included a 15-minute period where MPs stormed the Well while chanting slogans, also featured a sharp exchange of words between Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress's leader in the House, and Speaker Om Birla.

The issue began with senior Congress leader Manish Tewari raising the issue of electoral bonds. He said that the government's decision to go ahead with the scheme despite the central bank's reservations "made government corruption official".

However, on making a reference to the Prime Minister's Office, the Speaker cut his microphone and asked another member to raise the issue. At this point Mrs Gandhi left her seat to lead the walkout.

Earlier, as Congress leaders approached the Well chanting slogans the Lok Sabha Speaker appealed for order, reminding protesting MPs that it was their "responsibility to maintain decorum and dignity".

"This is wrong. The House is discussing a very important issue on sports persons. No, no. Don't talk to the chair from the Well. It is the responsibility of every member to maintain decorum and dignity of the House," he said, adding, "I am a new member. You are senior. Don't come to the Well,"

To this Mr Chowdhury shot back, calling the electoral bonds issue and the sale of PSUs a "big scam".

"This is a big scam. The country is being looted. Please allow us to speak," the Congress's leader in the house, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, replied, adding, "You are not new. You are the chair of the House. We are forced to give the adjournment motions to raise very important issues, not to disrespect the chair. We have given the notice because this is a big scam. The country is being looted".

Manish Tewari said the electoral bonds scheme "made government corruption official"

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi also got involved, declaring that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was running a clean government with no scope for corruption. He also said the Congress comes "everyday with an adjournment motion bringing some issues".

Meanwhile, in the Rajya Sabha Congress leaders had filed a notice to discuss electoral bonds with reference to the Reserve Bank of India's reservations. Rajya Sabha Chairperson Venkaiah Naidu said the issue did not warrant suspension of scheduled items and, with the opposition refusing to relent, he adjourned the house.

The confrontation erupted soon after ministers laid listed papers on the table. Mr Naidu confirmed he had received notices to suspend scheduled business to discuss the central bank's objections to electoral bonds and disinvestment and privatisation of public sector units (PSUs) such as Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL).

"They (the notices) do not warrant suspension of other business and (notices) taken upon priority," he said, adding that it was the Chair's prerogative to decide on which discussions would be taken up.

The Congress was yesterday equally vociferous in its demand the government disclose all details of electoral bonds before parliament. Describing it as a "political bribery scheme", the party said it was a scam that tarnished the image of the Indian democracy.

Senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad alleged the scheme of electoral bonds resulted in money laundering and destroyed transparency in the funding of political parties.

Under the electoral bonds scheme, the government has offered complete anonymity to those making donations. A donor can now anonymously buy a bond and deposit it with the party of their choice.

On Monday Huffpost reported the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) had objected to the scheme and the amendment to the RBI Act, contending this could encourage money laundering, undermine the faith in Indian banknotes and erode a core principle of central banking legislation.

But its objections were brushed away by the government. Electoral bonds were announced by then Finance Minister Arun Jaitley two days later and a month later, the Finance Bill 2017 was passed.

India and the US are understood to have resolved most of the important trade issues, thus paving the way for an 'initial trade package' wherein the two countries are looking for an equitable market access.

The much-needed progress is believed to have been made during the meeting between the Union Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal and US Trade Representatives Robert Lighthizer in Washington DC on Wednesday.

The two leaders spoke over phone again on Thursday.

A high-powered US delegation is slated to travel to India next week to give a final shape to what is being described as an initial trade package which will eventually pave the way for a major trade pact between the two countries.

Trade issues started cropping up between the countries when the US imposed high customs duties on certain steel and aluminium products, which are affecting India''s exports of these items to America.

The US had also rolled back export incentives for Indian exporters, under its Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) programme. India exports goods worth about USD 6 billion to America under the scheme.

In retaliation, India imposed high customs duties on 28 US products, including almonds.

Goyal and Lighthizer are believed to have had a constructive meeting in Washington on Wednesday, during which they covered a very wide range of issues that are on the table on the trade side.

A number of very important items that were on the table are understood to have been resolved and are reported to have been made part of the initial trade package that the two countries are working on.

Goyal had a behind the scene engagements in Washington and left for New York on Wednesday evening.

On Thursday afternoon, he and Lighthizer had another telephonic conversation as a follow up to their meeting a day earlier.

Good progress has been achieved, according to those familiar with the trade talks.

The two countries then will continue discussions on a more substantive India-US agreement on trade. While the final details of the initial trade package continue to be under wraps, the two countries are looking for an understanding based on equitable market access.

Both India and the US have been working on this principle and there is some level of measure of success, it is understood.

During the meeting, Indian officials from Ministry of Agriculture, Union Health Ministry and Indian Council of Medical Research are also believed to have participated in the deliberations.

Last month, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, during a lecture at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs in the US, said trade negotiations between India and the US were going well and will conclude sooner than expected.

"I think the trade talks would conclude sooner. The talks are going on very well. Yes, we couldn't conclude it before the Prime Minister's visit (to the US) happened. But both sides are engaged with all commitment," Sitharaman had said.

FM Sitharaman says India-US trade negotiations going in full speed'.

U.S. negotiating grant of special trade privilege to India, says US Commerce Secretary