Citation XLS, the state government-owned jet, is undergoing servicing with a few parts sent to the US for the purpose. Meanwhile, with joint trips by Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis to Delhi getting more frequent after their swearing-in as chief minister and deputy CM respectively, their staff have asked for bigger aircraft such as Legacy or Falcon, which are chartered from operators and cost more to the state exchequer.
Prime Location
Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) chief Radheshyam Mopalwar was recently appointed as director general of infra projects for the state by chief minister Eknath Shinde. Since Shinde does not want an adviser, Mopalwar has been assigned the cabin occupied by earlier advisers to CM like Ajoy Mehta and S J Kunte who were also working as chief secretaries. This cabin is located on the sixth floor and situated just outside the CM office.
Wait And Leave
Legislators are not the only group anxious about the expansion of the state cabinet; IPS officers, too, have been waiting for their general transfers with bated breath. While generally these transfers are done in May-June, this year, the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government had delayed it till June-end. As a change in government followed, the process got delayed further with cabinet expansion and appointment of state home minister becoming the priority. Several officers have been in “exit mode” for the past few months, complaining of lack of motivation with constant wait for newer postings.
Building Bridges
With Eknath Shinde being busy with political commitments, insiders say, his team is on a constant lookout for cases which can help the CM steal a march over the Thackerays. A case in point is from Shenripada village, where the locals had last year complained to then tourism minister Aaditya Thackeray about not having a bridge to cross over a local stream. The Shiv Sena leader installed an iron structure but it got washed away with this year’s monsoon. The locals then sent a message to Shinde who promised them a stronger bridge this season and asked the Nashik collector to personally supervise the work.
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Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/mumbai-confidential/mumbai-confidential-jet-set-go-shinde-fadnavis-8062911/
