‘Delay in infrastructure projects cause difficulty to people, burden state exchequer’: Bombay HC

The Bombay HC bench also noted that the road widening and other repair works of the Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66) are not complete yet despite “12 long years” since it was undertaken.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif S Doctor was hearing a PIL by lawyer Owais Anwar Pechkar, a resident of Chiplun in Konkan, who commutes along the highway. (File)

The Bombay High Court on Wednesday observed that delay in infrastructure projects such as the Mumbai-Goa National Highway (NH-66), whose repair and widening work was undertaken in 2011, causes difficulty to the people and becomes a burden on the state exchequer with rising construction costs.

Once assured by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) that the entire work on NH-66 (Panvel to Sawantwadi) will be completed by December 2024, the bench disposed of a PIL raising concerns of commuters.

“The entire stretch shall be complete in all aspects, including road widening and repairs by December 31, 2024. This direction is based on assurance of state PWD, NHAI,” the court said.

The court added that the entire stretch shall be completed within the assured date and any deviation from the timeline will be dealt with seriously by it which may amount to issuing contempt proceedings against the authorities.

A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Arif S Doctor was hearing a PIL by lawyer Owais Anwar Pechkar, a resident of Chiplun in Konkan, who commutes along the highway.

Pechkar had sought directions to the state government and the NHAI to resolve issues faced by the commuters, including measures to fix potholes on NH-66, which is prone to accidents and to expedite the widening work and complete the project at the earliest.

Pechkar argued that authorities had been extending the deadline to complete the project every year and they should finish the work at the earliest for ease of commuters.

Story continues below this ad

In November last year, the High Court had directed the NHAI and the Maharashtra Public Works Department (PWD) to file a current status report about the widening work and had directed the panel of experts to submit a report into a collapse of a certain structure, a portion of an under-construction bridge.

The bench noted that the road widening and other repair works are not yet complete despite “12 long years” since it was undertaken.

“Delay in such infrastructure projects not only causes numerous difficulties to the population which uses roads, but ultimately comes as a burden on the state exchequer. Any delay in such projects necessarily entails rising construction costs which is ultimately borne by public at large,” the bench noted in its order

The NHAI and the state government submitted that while some packages of the project being constructed by them are complete, all of them will be completed by December 31, 2024.

Stay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram