CM Orders Probe Into Cidco's U-Turn Over ₹900-Cr Housing Project

The scrapped project in Jalna was revived when Shinde was CM and helmed the urban development department

- Saurabha Kulshreshtha

MUMBAI: Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde may have spoken too soon, when he declared that everything was "thanda, thanda, cool, cool" between him and chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday. Shinde's attempt to quash rumors of a cold war between them fell flat, as it has now come to light that Fadnavis had ordered an inquiry and sought a report from the City and Industrial Development Corporation (Cidco) earlier this month about a potential housing project in central Maharashtra, green-lit by Shinde during his term as CM and head of urban development department (UDD).

The housing project in Jalna, worth around ₹900 crore, which was scrapped in 2020 when it was proven unfeasible, was revived in February 2023 when Shinde was at the helm of affairs. Since the formation of the Mahayuti 2.0 government, Fadnavis and Shinde have locked horns over various issues (see box). This is the latest jolt to Shinde.