Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will hold the first meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on infrastructure to approve projects of over Rs 15,000 crore on November 23. The major projects likely to come up for approval include water transport on the eastern coast connecting Mumbai-Navi Mumbai-Alibaug, expansion of the Mumbai-Pune expressway and the Mumbai-Nagpur Expressway.
Confirming the development, an official from planning department said, “The meeting will speed up infrastructure projects that are awaiting nod.” The planning department is the nodal agency for the meeting.
The Mumbai-Pune Expressway expansion has been speeded up after two landslides claimed two lives this monsoon. “It has an alternate bypass of 12-km and an underground tunnel to avoid the landslide prone areas completely. This will also reduce travel time by 20-22 minutes. The cost of the project is about Rs 7,000 crore,” the official said. The proposal has been pending for the last four years since the Congress-NCP regime and was not given approval. The BJP-led government has taken up the project in the infrastructure sub-committee for the first time.
The Nagpur-Mumbai Expressway project was announced by the CM himself. The huge project will connect two capitals of the state and will add another transportation mode. “The 800-km expressway will connect two cities in eight hours,” he added. The total project will cost Rs 30,000 crore and work will be done in phases till 2019. This will also connect Amravati, Aurangabad, Ghoti on the way.
One of the ambitious projects to be discussed is water transport. “The transport department has prepared the proposal connecting Mumbai-Navi Mumbai and Alibaug through the eastern coast. Different agencies of the government like Cidco, Maritime Board will help in making jetties and then private companies will be invited for operations,” the official said. This entire project will cost Rs 200 crore and will improve connectivity of the city with neighbouring areas, he added. There could be last minute changes in the project list, depending upon the government’s priority, the official said.
