Centre to transfer 53-acre salt land to Maharashtra for road project

The Union government has approved the transfer of 53174 acres of salt land in Maharashtrarsquos Thane district to the state government for a vital road project connecting Dahisar and Vasai Creek Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announcedAccording to the news agency PTI the road development is being carried out in two phases the coastal road from Dahisar to Bhayander and the stretch from Bhayander to Vasai CreekIn a post on X Goyal confirmed that this land transfer is a key step in advancing the projectLast year the Centre revised the rules governing the transfer of governmentowned salt lands introducing an online auction system that allows private sector participation if no bids come from Central Public Sector Enterprises CPSEs or state governments at the prescribed ratesAcross India there are approximately 60000 acres of salt land spread across states such as Maharashtra Andhra Pradesh Tamil Nadu Odisha Gujarat and KarnatakaCM Fadnavis lays the foundation stone for Amazon Web Services data centre in MumbaiMaharashtra Chief Minister CM Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday virtually laid the foundation stone for an Amazon Web Services AWS data centre in the state marking the beginning of the companyrsquos USD 83 billion investment in MaharashtraThe virtual ceremony took place at the CMs official residence VarshaThis data centre project represents the first phase of AWSrsquos substantial investment following a memorandum of understanding MoU signed earlier this year at the World Economic Forum in Davos Fadnavis said in an official releaseldquoMaharashtra has emerged as the countryrsquos most attractive investment destination securing the highest commitments even at Davos We are focused on ensuring ease of doing business by shortening approval timelines simplifying processes and providing realtime updates on proposals through a dedicated war roomrdquo the CM statedIn addition Fadnavis inaugurated Indiarsquos first lsquoThink Big Mobile Vanrsquo under the Amazon Mobile STEM Lab initiative aimed at exposing students in Mumbai to cuttingedge technology research and innovative learning opportunitiesCM Fadnavis reviews pod taxi project to tackle BKC congestionThe state government believes pod taxis could help strengthen Mumbairsquos transport to provide better lastmile connectivity especially in the busy BandraKurla Complex BKC area where there is high footfall On Monday Chief Minister Devendra Fadavis chaired a review meeting on implementing this futuristic urban transport system as a modern solution for Mumbairsquos mobilityThe CM opined that a pod taxi service will be important in the ldquobusiness districtrdquo between Kurla and Bandra railway station He even mentioned that bullet trains and the new Bombay High Court complex will increase traffic in the area and will likely add pressure on the existing transport system ldquoPod taxis can provide citizens an easy and delayfree travel experiencerdquo Fadnavis saidmidday reported earlier that the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority MMRDA commissioned a survey to understand the technical and economic feasibility of a pod taxi service The authority had plans to levy fares at R21 per kmThe report further mentioned that the pod taxi corridor is planned to stretch 135 km with 54 stations by 2041 including major terminals at Bandra Kurla and Sion railway stations In the first phase 38 stations covering 88 km are expected to be ready by 2027 with Bandra and Kurla serving as key terminals and links to Metro stationsWith inputs from Agencies