Mumbai-Goa four-laning to be completed by May 2023: Ashok Chavan

Mumbai: The much-delayed work of four-laning the Mumbai-Goa highway finally got a completion date

Mumbai: The much-delayed work of four-laning the Mumbai-Goa highway finally got a completion date. According to state public works department minister Ashok Chavan, the project will be completed by May 2023. The widening of the Mumbai-Goa highway, also known as NH-66, has been going on for more than a decade.

Ratangiri, India - April 16, 2019: Quadrupling of Mumbai Goa highway at Sindhudurg - Ratangiri, India, on Tuesday, April 16, 2019. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

Leader of the opposition in the legislative council Pravin Darekar raised the issue of the project through a calling attention motion and sought to know the status and when the work on the project will be completed. The 471 km widening project which spans three districts--Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, had started in 2011. Since then, contractors have been replaced to push the work.

Chavan, while responding to the questions, said that multiple reasons including forest land acquisition and compensation of land acquisition delayed the project. “Over 67% of the widening work on the 11 packages have been completed. However, work on four portions--Indapur-Vadpale, Parshuram Ghat-Adavali, Adavali-Sangameshwar and Sangameshwar to Lanja--are stuck.

The centre has given multiple extensions to the contractors. Substitute contractors were appointed, and the pace of work has increased. Most of the work will be over by this year’s end, while the remaining work will be completed by May 2023,” Chavan said.

Out of the four-laning on the 471 km highway, 277km or 67% is completed. The Mumbai-Goa highway sees a lot of traffic, including heavy goods carriers. “The highway sees 27000-45000 passenger car units (PCUs) daily. It is a crucial road for the growth of Maharashtra and connectivity with the Konkan region... the entire project is riddled with delays but through coordination, we are resolving issues,” he added.

Legislator Aniket Tatkare sought the removal of the toll charges on the highway till the work on the entire stretch is completed. Chavan, in response, said it is not the state’s right to levy or lift the toll. He said, “It is the centre’s project, they have to take a call on it, but we can certainly convey the demand.”

Darekar also sought the Public Works Department (PWD) to undertake the repair work of the stretches which are damaged as several people from Mumbai, Thane, Pune will travel to the Konkan region during the Holi festival next week.