Maharashtra plans to complete 30k km rural roads by June next year: CM Fadnavis

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis Friday said his government plans to complete the construction of 30,000 kilometres of rural roads by June next year.

He was speaking at the inaugural function of the Indian Road Congress being held here.

He said these roads were being built under the aegis of the Mukhyamantri Gram Sadak Yojana and 10,000 kilometres had already been completed out of the 30,000 km planned.

"The Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was assessing the quality of roads, gave 95.5 percentage grading to these (rural) roads, indicating best quality," Fadnavis told the gathering.

Speaking on the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Corridor, Fadnavis claimed it would be the smartest expressway in the world and among the longest in the country.

The Rs 49,250-crore Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg, alternatively referred to as a Super Communication Expressway, will be 700 kilometres long and will pass through 392 villages, spread over 11 districts.

"We are trying to make 22 smart cities along this expressway which will provide a huge boost to economic growth. Moreover, this expressway will connect 24 districts to the Jawaharlal Nehru Port near Mumbai," Fadnavis said.

He said work on the 22-kilometre long Mumbai Trans Harbour Link (MTHL) between the metropolis and neighbouring Navi Mumbai had begun and it would be the longest sea bridge in the country.

"We expect to finish the project in four years," he added.

He said the state government is also working on building a coastal road from Nariman Point to Worli and a sea link from Versova in Mumbai to Virar in a neighbouring Palghar district.

Fadnavis cited a Deutsche Bank report which said that 51 per cent of all big infrastructure projects currently being executed in the country are located in Maharashtra.