Mumbai-Goa highway widening approved

The Mumbai-Goa highway may soon become less accident-prone. After a delay of over five years, the Centre has accepted the Congress-led government’s demand to widen the highway. The decision was taken at a high-level meeting between union transport minister Kamal Nath and deputy chief minister Chhagan Bhujbal a week ago. “The Centre has agreed to conduct a feasibility study on the entire project. The task has been entrusted to the state public works department. We have initiated the feasibility study and expect to complete it within six months,’’ Bhujbal said. The PWD has proposed to widen the 400 km road between Panvel and Goa border. While the cost of feasibility will be around Rs 3 crore, fourlaning will cost around Rs 300 crore. “We have appointed consultants,’’ a senior official said.
The official added that in the wake of large number of accidents on the highway, the process of obtaining the green signal from the Centre has been expedited. In the last 232 days—only in Raigad district—112 persons were killed in 143 accidents, prompting journalists and social workers to resort to ‘rasta roko’. On the row over widening the road passing through the Karnala bird sanctuary, the official said it would be resolved amicably. “Local residents are saying that as there are no birds, now the sanctuary has no significance. There should be no delay in widening the road though environmentalists have objected to
the proposal,’’ the official said.
Along with the widening of the Mumbai-Goa highway, the Centre has accepted Bhujbal’s plea for four-laning of the Nashik-Sinnar, Sangamner bypass on Nashik, Nashik-Pune and Pune-Solapur national highways. “All these projects have been accepted and funds have been sanctioned from the central road fund,’’ the official added.