Navi Mumbai airport should be completed by 2024: Ajit Pawar

“I do not see that they (GVK) will face any problem. We have been given the target of 2024 for airport completion. We will be reviewing the work periodically,” Pawar told media personnel.

Navi Mumbai International Airport (NMIA) is a greenfield international airport being built on the National Highway (NH) 4B near Panvel, approximately 35km from Mumbai’s existing Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

The airport is a Public-Private Partnership venture in which the GVK led Mumbai International Airport Ltd., (MIAL), has a 74% stake with CIDCO, the nodal agency of the Maharashtra government, holding the remaining 26%.

Pawar said CIDCO needs to provide facilities for charging electric vehicles in upcoming projects. Besides, it should also housing and other projects keeping in the mind 25-year horizon. While allotting houses the CIDCO should ensure the common man can pay maintenance charges, he added.

On GST, Pawar said that the central government owes over ₹30,000 crore to Maharashtra towards the compensation.

“We are yet to get ₹30,000 crore to 32,000 crore of our share of the GST refund. Apart from Excise and stamp duty, the largest pool of revenue for the state government is from the GST. Earlier this week, the Maharashtra government highlighted the state’s issues regarding finances during discussions with the NITI Ayog members” Pawar added.

His statement comes ahead of the GST Council meeting scheduled in Lucknow today, September 17.

He also said that the Maharashtra government was against any move to encroach upon the state’s rights to levy taxes and would put forth its view in the GST Council meeting. He was replying to the question that the GST Council meeting might consider taxing petrol, diesel, and other petroleum products under the single national GST regime.

“The Centre was free to levy taxes, but “what is under the state’s jurisdiction should not be touched,” Pawar added.