Mumbai, May 1 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Wednesday that the state government is in the middle of implementing a slew of development projects across sectors that will help accelerate growth.

Shinde also listed a few initiatives, including a steel project in the Maoist-infested Gadchiroli district, the Dharavi Redevelopment Project, the 21.8 km Atal Setu or the Mumbai Trans Harbour Link project connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai which is being constructed at a cost of Rs 17,840 crore.

Speaking at the launch of the NDTV Marathi news channel on the occasion of Maharashtra Day, the Chief Minister also said that the state government is reaping the benefits of the double-engine government.

"If we look at Maharashtra over the past two years, the Atal Setu is a game-changer project. The Mumbai Coastal Road has also been started from one side. We are giving momentum to many projects," CM Shinde said.

Currently, infrastructure projects worth Rs 8 lakh crore are under various stages of implementation in Maharashtra, he said.

"The 701 km Samruddhi Highway (Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway), and the Metro car shed are symbols of our developmental work," the Chief Minister said.

The Dharavi Redevelopment Project, a joint venture of the Maharashtra government and the Adani Group, is the biggest of its kind in Asia, he said.

The Maharashtra government last year approved the Adani Group's bid to redevelop the area that covers 625 acres (253 hectares), and has been described by the officials as "the world's largest urban renewal scheme".

The project is a key step in reimagining one of the largest and most vibrant informal settlements in Asia. Singapore serves as an inspiring example for the Dharavi Redevelopment Project. In the 1960s, Singapore's landscape was dotted with shanties, slums, and ghettos, strikingly similar to Dharavi. From these modest beginnings, the Singapore Housing Development Board crafted over 1.2 million homes.