Will Maharashtra’s MVA government revive the ambitious Konkan coastal road project?

The Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is reviving the plan to construct a coastal road through three districts of Konkan

The Shiv Sena-led Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government is reviving the plan to construct a coastal road through three districts of Konkan. The project is expected to give a boost to tourism and industry in the coastal region.

In a presentation made by MSRDC to chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday, the corporation proposed the construction of the road. (Hindustan Times)

Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has chalked out a plan for the development of the 444-km coastal road between Revas in Raigad and Patradevi in Sindhudurg, at an estimated cost of ₹9,573 crore.

In a presentation made by MSRDC to chief minister (CM) Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday, the corporation proposed the construction of the road to connect ports, industrial nodes, religious places and tourist destinations.

It has also proposed the construction of connecting roads and beautification of 27 places along the route.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has already given in-principal approval for the two- and four-lane highway, and consultants have been appointed for four packages of the project. The packages have been segregated between Revas-Bankot in Raigad, Bankot-Jaigad in Ratnagiri, Jaigad-Devgad in Sindhudurg and Devgad-Aronda in Sindhudurg. MSRDC informed the CM that the project reports of these packages have also been prepared.

The coastal road assumes importance for the MVA government as the Thackeray-led state government has been focussing on infrastructure development of coastal districts.

“The Shiv Sena has its voter base in coastal regions, and in the last one year, the government has concentrated on major projects in this region. The development of the coastal road could be in response to the previous government’s pet project Samruddhi Expressway between Mumbai and Nagpur,” said an official from the state public works department.

The Konkan coastal road project was put on the backburner for more than two decades owing to multiple issues, including land acquisition, high cost and priority given to widening of the Mumbai-Goa highway.

“The coastal highway will provide a major boost to tourism in the Konkan belt, which has a variety of beaches, forts, and religious places. The proposed plan has nine bridges over creeks and cross-sections at 28 places. It has proposed townships at an average distance of 30km,” said an official from MSRDC.