Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister

Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, January 11

In an unprecedented attack, Union Minister for Shipping and Transport Nitin Gadkari today hit out at the naval top brass for denying permission to the construction of a floating hotel, or floatel, and a private jetty in the Arabian Sea.He said the floatel and jetty construction near the Malabar Hill base did not pose any security risk. “What has the Navy to do with Malabar Hill? They (naval personnel) should guard the country’s borders. You should go to the Pakistan border and do patrolling,” Gadkari said at the foundation stone-laying ceremony for the International Cruise Terminal here.Among those who present on the occasion included Vice Admiral Girish Luthra, Chief, Western Naval Command.Incidentally, the site of the proposed floatel and the jetty for it are located just a few kilometres from where Ajmal Kasab and his fellow terrorists from Pakistan landed on November 26, 2008.Continuing with his harangue against the naval authorities, Gadkari alleged the men in white were after the minister to allot plots for housing. “These Navy officers wanted a plot to build houses in south Mumbai. I will not give you even one inch of land. Why do you want to build houses in south Mumbai? I will not entertain you,” he said. Gadkari went on to say that he headed a committee to clear stalled infrastructure projects and would push for the construction of the floating jetty and hotel when the project comes on the agenda.“We are the government, the Navy and the Defence Ministry are not the government,” he added. The Navy and the Coast Guard had earlier refused to give green signal to the little-known private company, Rashmi Development Private Ltd, to build a floating hotel in Arabian Sea and construct a jetty near Malabar Hill to offer seaplane services and ferry tourists to the floatel. The agencies had warned of security threats to several vital installations, if private firms and foreigners were allowed access to the coast.Gadkari is aggressively pushing for construction of tourism-based infrastructure along Maharashtra coast.

‘Won’t give an inch of land for housing’What has the Navy to do with Malabar Hill? They (naval personnel) should guard the country’s borders. You should go to the Pakistan border and do patrolling. —Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister for shipping and transport