Maharashtra is going to get new a expressway soon as the state government on Tuesday approved the allocation of Rs 20,787 crore for the ambitious ‘Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Expressway’ which will pass through 12 districts, linking eastern Maharashtra with southern Konkan.
Travel time from Nagpur to Goa will be reduced
The 802-km expressway will link Pavnar in Wardha district with Patradevi on Maharashtra-Goa border in Sindhudurg district, and is expected to cut the travel time between Nagpur and Goa from current 18 hours to eight hours, officials said.
The cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The high-speed corridor will pass through the districts of Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg.
Wherever there is opposition to the project for fear of land acquisition, talks should be held with the local farmers, the chief minister said at the meeting.
Expressway to connect key pilgrimage sites
According to officials, the expressway aims to connect key pilgrimage sites such as Mahur, Tuljapur, Kolhapur and Pandharpur in addition to prominent spiritual and historical places like Ambajogai, two `Jyotirlings' of Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath; Karanja- Lad, Akkalkot, Audumber and Narsobachi Wadi.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will implement the project, and HUDCO has sanctioned a loan of Rs 12,000 crore for the acquisition of nearly 7,500 hectares of land, officials said.
The expressway aims to link all `Shaktipeeths' in the state and develop rural areas through tourism and connectivity, they added.
