Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 1 : The Maharashtra government approved the construction of a 204-km-long four-lane concrete highway between Nagpur and Chandrapur on Wednesday.
The decision was made during the Cabinet Infrastructure Committee meeting, held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.
The Nagpur-Chandrapur Highway is a 204-kilometre, four-lane, cement-concrete highway, with an additional 11 kilometres of connecting road to Chandrapur city. The total cost, including land acquisition, is Rs 2,353.39 crore.
In the meeting held at his Varsha's residence, Chief Minister Fadnavis also instructed to submit a proposal for the construction of a highway between Chandrapur and Mul.
The Chief Minister directed that an 'ecosystem' of development be created in the area surrounding the road while building any future roads. He also directed that land be acquired and planned in advance for this purpose.
Since the Nagpur to Chandrapur highway is being built up to Navegaon More, the length of this highway should be extended up to the Surjagad Iron Project, he instructed.
Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif, and Chief Secretary Rajesh Kumar were present at the meeting.
Chief Minister Fadnavis said that there should be a time limit while completing development projects.
"If the project is delayed, the state is unnecessarily burdened financially due to the cost increase. Currently, work on infrastructure projects worth Rs 10 lakh crore is underway in the state. The pace of progress of these works should not be allowed to slow down anywhere. After the completion of these works, the economy will gain momentum. Therefore, all these works should be completed within the planned time limit. From now on, while taking up infrastructure works in the state, they should first be brought to the Gatishakti portal. The work on the project should not be started without taking it on the Gatishakti portal," he said.
Giving instructions to issue a government decision for this, Chief Minister Fadnavis said that while undertaking works on irrigation projects, planning should be done from the outset, taking into account potential future difficulties. Land acquisition for these projects should be done in advance and then work should be started.
He added that the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation should expand its operations and create different departments for easy implementation of projects. To expedite infrastructure projects, expert manpower in the relevant field should be sourced from external sources. The Chief Minister also stated that the ID system for infrastructure projects will help curb irregularities in payments.
The Public Works and Water Supply Department should implement a time-bound program in accordance with its obligation to settle outstanding payments. A system should be set up with the help of modern technology so that departments pay only for the work they have done. Chief Minister Fadnavis also gave instructions to develop a system utilising technology for verifying payments.
Chief Minister Fadnavis stated that toilets should be installed along the Samruddhi Highway. The system is being set up at 16 places on this highway. There should also be petrol pumps and food malls. The toilets should be developed for tourism purposes. For this, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation should appoint a consultant. MSRDC should set up centers for tourism purposes at least four out of 16 places on the highway. The development process should be implemented with the funds of investors who are willing to raise funds for infrastructure projects in the state. Arrangements should be made to ensure their participation in further development and to get a fixed remuneration. A new model of fundraising should be developed, he instructed.