Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi corridor on track: Devendra Fadnavis

The eight-lane road stretching 701 km will be completed in 36 months. The project cost has escalated to Rs 55,335 crore, up from the initially estimated

Rs 46,000 crore. The escalation has been attributed to the construction of a 3-metre wall along the entire stretch coupled with delay and higher compensation for land acquisition.

While describing it as the most significant infrastructure project, Fadnavis said, “We believe this is one project which has immense potential to change the destiny of people. It will bridge the divide between rural and urban areas. It will have a direct bearing on the socio-economic activities in 24 districts across regions — Marathwada, Vidarbha, parts of North Maharahstra, Western and Konkan.”

Asked about the financial constraints, he said, “Raising funds is not an issue. Unlike the Nagpur-Mumbai road, development of nodes will majorly be through self-finance model. There are clearly defined sectors for each nodes.”

The development of agro-industries was the chief concern when the project was conceived almost three years ago, catering to the drought hit Vidarbha and Marathwada. However, the development of nodes led to expansion of the scope to accommodate diverse sectors.

The detailed plan lays emphasis on Knowledge City, tourism, agro-food industries, IT hub, among others.

The plan which has been approved shows: Jamtha (IT hub, Knowledge City); Buti Bori (logistic hub, sports and recreation); Wardha (eco-tourism centre, agriculture hub); Pulgaon (warehouse, agro-hub, logistic hub); Dhamangaon (agro and food processing); Talegaon (agro and food processing); Karanja Lad (educational institutes/warehouse and cold storages); Selu Bazar (food processing, agro-hub and textile hub); Malegaon (health care centres/solar power industry); Mehkar (IT hub, education and tourism hub); Dusarbid (agro equipment, automobile spare parts) and Sindkhed Raja (amusement park, food park and food processing).