 "Eknath Shinde, Eknath, Maharashtra CM")
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde | (Photo: PTI)
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday visited construction sites in Raigad district to inspect pending work on the Mumbai-Goa highway ahead of Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
The visit came a week after Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam called BJP leader and Maharashtra Public Works Minister Ravindra Chavan a useless minister over the poor condition of the highway.
Speaking to reporters, Shinde said, “We have used four different modern technologies to repair potholes and damaged sections of the highway. This will minimize the inconvenience to people travelling to their villages in the coastal districts for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.”
Officials of NHAI, MSRDC and PWD, among others, have conducted a comprehensive study of the problems on this highway and worked out effective solutions, he said.
Shinde said, “Union Highways Minister Gadkari took keen interest in the highway and gave loans to contractors, but some of them ignored the work and due to their lethargy, we are now faced with this precarious situation.”
Action would be taken against contractors who had built roads of inferior quality, he said.
While the highway section from Ratnagiri to Goa is completed and operational, some sections in Raigad are yet to be properly developed.
“The Ganpati festival is in a few weeks and the road conditions are sub-par. Despite an annual inspection by a minister, there has been little improvement. People continue to suffer,” said a resident of Dapoli, who visits his ancestral home during the festival.
During the ten-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival, many people travel from the cities to their ancestral homes in Konkan. The poor condition of roads continues to be a cause of concern for travellers and bus operators on the Mumbai-Goa route.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been edited by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First published: 26 August 2024 | 18:30 IS
