Pune, July 4 (IANS) Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is on a day’s visit to Pune, Maharashtra, on Friday, will take part in multiple events throughout the day, including unveiling a statue of Shreemant Thorle Bajirao Peshwa at the National Defence Academy (NDA), Khadakwasla and the inauguration of a sports centre.

The 13.5-foot-tall, 4,000-kg bronze statue has been donated to the NDA by the Shreemath Thorle Bajirao Peshwa Pratishthan. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy Chief Ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil, and Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol will attend the function, among others.

HM Shah, who arrived here on Thursday night, will interact with the trainees of the National Defence Academy (NDA). He will later inaugurate the Jairaj Sports and Convention Centre at Kondhwa, and will visit Balasaheb Deora Hospital at Khadi Machine Chowk. Thereafter, he will lay the foundation stone of Health City at Wadachiwadi and later depart for his next destination.

In the wake of HM Shah’s visit, the district administration has issued directives with regard to traffic diversion. Under the Kalepadal, Kondhwa, and Bharati Vidyapeeth traffic departments, all goods transport vehicles, dumpers, mixers, trucks, heavy, bulky and slow-moving vehicles are being prohibited from plying on the road between Mantarwadi Phata to Khadi Machine Chowk to Katraj Chowk on July 4 from noon to 5 p.m. Deputy Commissioner of Police (traffic) Himmat Jadhav, in his order, said one-way traffic between Mor Odha to Circuit House Chowk to I.B. Chowk is being diverted to two-way traffic.

It is HM Shah’s fifth visit to Maharashtra in the recent past, ahead of the upcoming local and civic body elections in the state, which are expected to take place in October-November this year. This is his maiden visit to the state after the election of the new chief of the Maharashtra BJP, Ravindra Chavan, on July 1.

HM Shah earlier asked the party workers to gear up for the upcoming elections to continue the victory march of the BJP-led MahaYuti in the local and civic body elections.

The Home Minister visited Pune on February 22, went to Raigad fort to pay tribute to Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj on April 12, on May 26 and 27 he attended a slew of functions in Nagpur, Nanded and Mumbai and on June 20 he inaugurated the office of the Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Mumbai.

–IANS

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