Mumbai, Aug 26 (PTI) – Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday visited construction sites in Raigad district to inspect the pending work on the Mumbai-Goa highway ahead of the 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 types of cutting-edge technology to repair potholes and damaged sections of the highway. This will minimise inconvenience to people travelling to their villages in coastal districts for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.” Officials of NHAI, MSRDC and PWD, to name a few, have conducted an in-depth study of the problems on this highway and devised effective solutions, he said.
Shinde said, “Union Minister Gadkari has taken keen interest in the highway and has given loans to contractors, but some of them have ignored the work and due to their lethargy, we are facing this precarious situation.” Contractors who have built substandard roads will face action, 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. Poor road conditions continue to pose a problem for travellers and bus operators on the Mumbai-Goa route. PTI ND COR ARU
