Mumbai, July 22 (IANS) With an eye to the forthcoming assembly elections, the Maharashtra government Wednesday announced a Rs.6,509-crore package for northern parts of the state, pledging development of four airports and setting up a terminal market in the temple town of Nashik.

The package – coming barely a month after a similar one was announced for the coastal Konkan region – envisages spending an average Rs.2,000 crore annually over the next three years for the allround development of the northern districts.

Among the major highlights are airport development projects in the ‘wine country’ of Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule and Shirdi, famous as the abode of Sai Baba, Chief Minister Ashok Chavan announced Wednesday evening after presiding over a special cabinet meeting held in Nashik.

Besides an airport, Nashik will get a terminal market and free-cooling facilities, cold storages and ripening chambers in Dhule and Nandurbar.

The north Maharashtra, or Khandesh, includes districts of Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Dhule and the tribal-dominated Nandurbar.

An amount of Rs.320 crore has been earmarked for the development of the tribal areas of Nandurbar, including for roads, sport complexes and a library.

For the forest regions, there is a proposal to set up in Ahmednagar a hospital for wild animals and a centre for housing and treatment of leopards.

Apart from these, various infrastructure and developmental projects will be taken up across the region, including flyovers, hospitals, schools and colleges, technical institutions, government buildings, sports and cultural facilities, tourism development, industrial development, health care facilities, drinking and irrigation water supply and agriculture.