Jitendra Awhad visits Devendra Fadnavis, BJP says housing project for cops discussed

Housing Minister and NCP leader Jitendra Awhad on Thursday met Leader of Opposition in the Assembly, Devendra Fadnavis, at the latter’s residence in Mumbai.

While both NCP and BJP denied that there was any political agenda to the meeting, it has given rise to speculation in the political circles.

The BJP said the two met to discuss housing project for police personnel. “Fadnavis had written to the housing minister about a housing project for police personnel. In response, Awhad decided to meet him and discuss the project,” said a source in BJP.

During his tenure as chief minister and home minister, Fadnavis had promised to build one lakh flats for police personnel in Mumbai. “Various redevelopments projects were also undertaken. All these projects were discussed in the meeting,” the source added.

The meeting comes days after Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray stayed NCP’s decision to hand over 100 flats in MHADA buildings to the Parel-based Tata Memorial Hospital to accommodate cancer patients and their relatives.

The decision had caused dissonance within the Maha Vikas Aghadi government. The proposal to allot these flats was mooted by Awhad and the keys of these flats were handed over to Tata hospital by NCP chief Sharad Pawar in May.

On Wednesday, however, Awhad told mediapersons that the issue has been resolved and a new set of 100 flats will now be allotted to the hospital.