Nagpur, Aug 13: The second capital of Maharastra is all set to get a facelift with the Centre clearing long pending development projects worth Rs several thousand crore, according to State Minister for Labour Satish Chaturvedi. The development project would include a 1,000 MW thermal power station of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) worth Rs 5,000 crore and a multi-modal international cargo and passenger hub at city airport also worth Rs 5,000 crore, Chaturvedi, a senior Congress leader, who is also the guardian minister of Nagpur district, told a news agency here.

These projects would certainly change the development scenario, attracting a number of small investors, providing employment opportunities to people from surrounding areas, Chaturvedi, an MLA from East Nagpur Assembly seat, said. The projects were cleared by the Centre after the leaders of Shiv Sena and Congress broke the ice and struck a "holy alliance" over development for the city. The alliance also sent warning bells to saffron partner BJP and rebels in both the parties, he said.

"On the issue of development of the region in general and the second capital in particular, it is a historic milestone for both Shiv Sena and Congress to share a common platform," Chaturvedi said.

Lauding the efforts of Subodh Mohite, Shiv Sena MP from neighbouring Ramtek Lok Sabha constituency in this regard, Chaturvedi said, "He set aside all party politics and took personal interest for the development and met Union ministers George Fernandes, Anant Gite and Nitish Kumar". Bureau Report