The Mumbai-Pune Expressway, that drew trenchant criticism from the Opposition, was conceived by the former chief minister Sharad Pawar himself during his tenure 12 years ago, Gadkari informed the House. ``The Congress is uncomfortable because we have been able to do it,'' he said claiming the government had saved on this project too since private companies like Reliance had quoted an exorbitant Rs 3,600 crore while the government was able to do it in Rs 2,500 crore.

However, Gadkari did not offer a direct replyto the charge that the government and the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation had erred in allowing contractors to commercially exploit the area beneath the flyovers. Jayant Patil of the Congress had expressed serious misgivings about this policy especially about the Andheri flyover. His contention was that the government had appointed the Jog committee in which builder Niranjan Hiranandani was a member. This committee had recommended the commercial use of the space below flyovers. Subsequently, Patil stated, the Andheri flyover contract was given to Jog Construction and shared by Hiranandani. ``The minister must clarify this,'' he said.

Gadkari only said that the flyovers, when completed, would save nearly Rs 1,000 crore in fuel costs in Mumbai alone while the Mumbai-Pune Expressway would make it possible to travel the distance within two hours. ``We have done in less than five years what the Congress was not able to do in 45 years of governance,'' he said.

No less than six speakers from theOpposition drew the attention of the House to the lopsided emphasis on road-building and repair. Gadkari and his department were concentrating on the urban areas, particularly Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur, to the detriment of road networks in rural areas, members said. Shankarrao Jagtap, RR Patil and Manikrao Thakre of the Congress were vociferous in their criticism that the Sena-BJP government had neglected the rural areas to the extent that even repair of roads was not undertaken in many villages.

``You spend thousands of crores on flyovers. I have no problem with that but you give only Rs 58 crore for building and maintaining the all-season link roads in villages across the State,'' said Jagtap. Patil said that barely 12 per cent of the department's budget was made available for the rural areas.

However, Gadkari denied the imbalance and said that the average incidence of road links in villages was barely 52 per cent when the government was sworn in but had touched almost 91 per cent now; it will be 100 percent by the year 2000. Gadkari also claimed credit he had received from Governor PC Alexander about connecting villages in the Melghat region and a letter of appreciation from industrialist Ratan Tata about the professionalism of his department and project work.

Enraged Aher walks out

In an unusual development in the Legislative Assembly today, budgetary demands on public health department was put to vote even before the concerned minister could complete his reply. And, it was passed by majority.

Health minister Daulatrao Aher was only mid-way through his reply to the debate on budget demands when the presiding officer MB Joshi declared that the allotted time for budget demands and ministers' replies was over and put them to vote at around 6.15 pm. Aher protested strongly since he had spoken for less than five minutes and demanded at least another ten minutes to complete his reply to the members' demands and points.

By then, public works department minister Nitin Gadkari had spoken for about15-20 minutes and completed his reply. Aher, speaking after him referred to the length of time given to his colleague and asked for a few minutes more. However, Joshi decided that the House had to begin discussing the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Bill and put the budgetary demands to vote.

Amidst a standing-and-protesting Aher, the members voiced their vote and the budgets for both departments were passed. The Congress benches could not help chuckling at the incident. An exasperated Aher then saluted the Chair in a mock gesture and walked out immediately prompting some members to remark later that the House does not even have the time to listen to a minister.