MoRTH approves ₹5,801-cr road projects in Maharashtra

Union transport minister informed that the Centre has approved new National Highway projects worth ₹5,801 crore for Maharashtra under the Annual Plan. The project includes improving and developing 1,035 km of NHs and also cleared ₹1,800 crore projects under the Central Road Fund scheme. The 1 lakh crore greenfield Delhi-Mumbai expressways will be extended up to JNPT to facilitate container traffic. The Maharashtra Government will partner in its construction by the means of GST exemption and royalty-free supply of steel and cement, which will be considered as State Government's equity in the project. To decongest Mumbai-Pune stretch of the National Highway, a separate North-South Highway corridor from Surat via Nashik - Ahmednagar - Solapur would be built for traffic bound for southern states. Palkhi Marg connecting Pandharpur - Alandi and Pandharpur-Dehu Road will be constructed with a parallel pedestrian track for Warkaris to undertake their pilgrimage to Pandharpur safely. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has built 3,771 km of concrete roads in Maharashtra and the target for construction during 2020-21 is 2,500 km out of which 1,394 km of roads have already been completed across the state.