Mumbai: Deputy Chief Minister of the state Ajit Pawar has directed the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), Public Work Department (PWD) and National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to develop coordination among themselves to complete ongoing construction work on the Mumbai-Nashik national highway. He also directed them to expedite the work and blacklist the contractor if he delays the work. The meeting was organised at Mantralaya as he sought a solution as soon as possible.
Various work on the Mumbai Nashik highway is already underway including concretisation of roads, construction of bridges and service roads. Usually, huge traffic congestion happens there due to ongoing work and people face difficulties in travelling on the highway.
PWD minister Ravindra Chavan, MLA Dilip Bankar, MLA Rais Sheikh, Chief Secretary Nitin Karir, Upper Chief Secretary of PWD department, Manisha Mhaiskar, Planning Department Principal Secretary Saurabh Vijay, Minister Dada Bhuse, and MLA Devayani Farande were present during the meeting.
Pawar said there is an early need to finish the upgrade work of the Nashik-Mumbai highway. The highway is crucial for Nashik and North Maharashtra residents to reach Mumbai. Around 1.70 lakh vehicles ply on the thoroughfare during high traffic causing disturbance to road up graduation work.
The deputy CM advised the three departments to repair highway potholes on priority, install barricades on the roads, set time limits for heavy vehicles, and map narrow lanes.
