Latest news with #Nagpur-GoaShaktipeethExpressway
Hindustan Times
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
₹20,000 crore approved for land acquisition & realignment of Nagpur-Goa expressway
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided not only to go ahead with the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway but also to fund the complete process of land acquisition for the project. It has approved a sum of ₹ 20,787 crore for acquiring more than 7,500 hectares of land. Of the total amount, ₹ 12,000 crore will be taken as a loan from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO). A file photo of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis with Shiv Sena leaders Subhash Desai and Diwakar Raote. (PTI photo) (PTI) The state cabinet took the decision despite strong resistance from farmers, especially those from western Maharashtra districts. During the meeting, two ministers—medical education minister Hasan Mushrif and state health minister Prakash Abitkar—expressed their reservations about taking the project ahead despite this opposition. Both are from Kolhapur district. The ministers suggested that the state government hold discussions with the affected farmers and try to find a way out of the situation. 'They told the cabinet that the Mahayuti coalition had already faced a backlash from farmers during the Lok Sabha elections,' revealed a minister privy to the development. 'This could be repeated in the upcoming polls if the state government decides to forcibly implement the project.' Taking this into consideration, the cabinet approved partial alignment of the project. 'It has approved the alignment connecting Pavnar, which falls in Wardha district, to Sangli covering more than 700 km,' revealed a senior official from the public works department (PWD). The cabinet also decided to scrap the alignment going through Shirol, Karvir, Hatkanangale, Kagal, Bhudargad and Ajara talukas of Kolhapur district. 'Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis directed the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to prepare an alternate alignment for the remaining part of the project connecting Sangli with Sindhudurg district,' said another PWD official. 'Once this is done, the CM and the two deputy chief ministers will hold consultations with all the stakeholders—local MLAs and ministers among others—before taking a final decision on the alignment.' Deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar too confirmed that the state government was planning to change the alignment. 'When the ministers expressed their concern regarding resistance from farmers and requested Fadnavis to hear them out, he assured them that there was no reason for them to continue with the project if people were opposing it,' Pawar told reporters. 'The CM also assured them that he would try to change the alignment.' The state is powering ahead with this expressway despite opposition from farmers, as it requires private agricultural land on a large scale. In the run-up to the assembly elections last year, the then chief minister Eknath Shinde had promised that the project would not be imposed on the farmers but the government changed its position after coming to power with an unprecedented majority. The 802.592-km-long expressway will connect 12 districts: Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg. It will later be linked to the Mumbai-Goa highway close to the Goa border. The expressway will reduce travel time between Nagpur and Goa from 18 to eight hours. The expressway has also been positioned as a religious and cultural corridor aimed at enhancing pilgrimage connectivity across Vidarbha, Marathwada and western Maharashtra, as it will connect three major pilgrimage sites—the Mahalaxmi temple (Kolhapur), Tulja Bhavani Temple (Dharashiv) and Renuka Mata Shakti Peeth Temple (Nanded). The project will be executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC).
Indian Express
a day ago
- Politics
- Indian Express
Maharashtra Cabinet gives nod to acquire land, approves Rs 20,000 cr
The Maharashtra Cabinet Tuesday approved acquisition of land for the proposed Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway project, which was halted due to farmers' protests in Kolhapur in 2024. The Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also approved Rs 20,000 crore for land acquisition and planning, while the entire project cost is estimated to be Rs 80,000 crore. The proposed 802-kilometre high-speed corridor, officially known as the Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Mahamarg, will connect Pavnar in Wardha district to Patradevi in Sindhudurg, near the Maharashtra-Goa border. Once completed, the expresway will link 18 major pilgrimage destinations, including three-and-a-half Shaktipeeths, two Jyotirlingas, and spiritual centres such as Pandharpur and Ambajogai, cutting across 11 districts. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will implement the project, with the land acquisition and initial planning process to be overseen by the Public Works Department (PWD). The Cabinet decision comes nearly six months after the Devendra Fadnavis-led government formally revived the project in January 2025, following a period of uncertainty. The previous Mahayuti government, under then CM Eknath Shinde, in June 2024 put the project on hold after mounting opposition from farmers and political leaders, including members of the ruling coalition. The primary concern was the large-scale acquisition of private agricultural land. Of the 8,419 hectares required for the project, nearly 8,100 hectares belong to individual farmers. Protests, particularly in Kolhapur and surrounding sugar belt districts, gained momentum, prompting the then government to put the project in abeyance. Just days after being sworn in, CM Fadnavis directed the PWD to resume work on the corridor, signalling renewed political will to push forward one of the most ambitious greenfield infrastructure projects in the state. Beyond transportation, the Shaktipeeth Expressway is projected as a religious and cultural corridor aimed at enhancing pilgrimage connectivity across Vidarbha, Marathwada, and western Maharashtra. The expressway will pass through Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Latur, Beed, Dharashiv, Solapur, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg. Officials say the project will significantly reduce travel time, boost tourism, and support local economies in regions that remain underdeveloped or poorly connected by rail and road.
Hindustan Times
6 days ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Fadnavis stresses need for timely land acquisition to keep key infra projects on track
Mumbai, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday directed officials to complete land acquisition for important infrastructure projects within the prescribed timelines to avoid delays in execution and cost escalation. Highlighting the scale of the work ahead, Fadnavis said ₹53,354 crore would be needed to acquire land for 11 ambitious state projects. The CM also directed the finance department to allocate ₹12,000 crore required in connection with land acquisition for the proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway, his office said in a statement. 'Delays in projects lead to major cost escalations. All agencies concerned have been assigned specific timelines, and strict adherence to these is necessary. The land acquisition process must be treated with seriousness and executed in mission mode,' the CM said. Earlier in the day, he chaired a high-level meeting to review the progress in land acquisition for several major projects, including the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway and Pune Ring Road, said the statement. Fadnavis said the alignment of the proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway should be finalised using the Gati Shakti portal to minimise the impact on forest land. He also directed the finance department to allocate ₹12,000 crore required to acquire land for the expressway. He stressed the need to fast-track clearances concerning forested areas and mangrove patches between Morbe and Karanja for the proposed Virar-Alibaug corridor, while simultaneously proceeding with administrative processes to keep the project on track. He also called for submission of a proposal to include the Vadhavan-Igatpuri Expressway project under the Centre's Sagarmala scheme, and completion of land acquisition at Selu in Parbhani district for the Jalna-Nanded Expressway within 15 days, the statement said. Blueprints for the Bhandara-Gadchiroli, Nagpur-Chandrapur, and Nagpur-Gondia expressways should also be finalised through the Gati Shakti portal, he said. He also directed officials to complete land acquisition for the Wardha-Gadchiroli and Wardha-Nanded rail lines within the prescribed time. Fadnavis directed that the Obstacle Limitation Surface survey be completed for the proposed Gadchiroli airport. The runway at Akola airport should be extended to 2,400 metres to accommodate larger aircraft, and a modern and spacious terminal should be constructed there, he added.
