NHAI targets to open 42-km stretch of Mumbai-Goa highway before Ganesh festival

The NHAI is constructing 84km of the highway from Panvel to Indapur in Raigad district and the work has been divided into two packages. Package 1 comprises the 42km stretch from Panvel to Kasu while package 2 involves works on the remaining 42km stretch from Kasu to Indapur.

JM Mhatre Infra Pvt Ltd has been allotted the work order of Package 1, amounting to Rs 151 crore where as Kalyan Toll Infra was given the work order of Package 2 in November 2022.

The NHAI official said initially, the Supreme Tollways Pvt Ltd had been given the work order of constructing the entire 84km (from Panvel to Indapur) of the Mumbai-Goa highway in 2011 and was scheduled to complete the work by 2014. However, various challenges such as land acquisition and utility shifting hampered work. All issues were resolved in 2014 but then the company faced financial issues.

The NHAI gave a financial aid of Rs 550 crore to the contractor, who spent Rs 500 crore and completed the construction of the 42km (2+2 lane) stretch from Panvel to Kasu in Package 1 and only 20km of the road planned in Package 2. In 2021, the NHAI terminated the services of the contractor for failing to finish the highway work on time.

The contractor moved the high court twice and the Supreme Court once to oppose the termination, but in all times, the courts passed orders in favour of the NHAI, which eventually appointed two new contractors in 2022.

The official said that although the previous contractor had finished constructing the 42km stretch from Panvel to Kasu, it was decided to convert the road into a cemented one since it rains heavily in this region. The NHAI official explained that 32km of the said stretch out of 42km (Panvel to Kasu) has been completed and remaining work is ongoing; targeted to be ready by Ganesh festival.

In Package 2 of the highway work, Kasu to Indapur is also ongoing that involves construction of underpass and bridges and cementing the road, which will be completed by December 2024.

While 84 km out of the 460 km of the Mumbai-Goa highway in Maharashtra is being constructed by the NHAI, the remaining 376 km has been taken up by the state Public Works Department (PWD).

The PWD has completed 266 km of the stretch and aims to finish work on the remaining 88 km by December this year. An official from the state PWD said the work on the 376 km stretch has been divided into 10 packages for smooth execution of the project starting from Mangaon, Raigad district to Patradevi in Sindhudurg district respectively.