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Mumbai, Aug 26: Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday visited sites in Raigad district to review the pending work on the Mumbai-Goa Highway ahead of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.
The visit has come a week after Shiv Sena leader Ramdas Kadam called BJP leader and Maharashtra PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan a “useless minister” over the poor state of the highway.
Talking to reporters, Shinde said, "We have used four types of advanced technology to repair potholes and damaged stretches of the highway. This will minimise inconvenience for people travelling to their villages in the coastal districts for the Ganesh Chaturthi festival."
Officials of the NHAI, MSRDC, and PWD, among others, have conducted an in-depth study of the issues on this highway and devised effective solutions, he said.
Shinde said, "Union Minister for Highways Gadkari took a keen interest in the highway and gave loans to contractors, but some of them ignored the work, and due to their lethargy, we have to face this precarious situation."
Contractors who have constructed substandard roads will face action, he said. While the section of the highway from Ratnagiri to Goa is completed and operational, some stretches in Raigad still need to be constructed well.
"The Ganpati festival is in a couple of weeks, and the road conditions are substandard. Despite an annual review by a minister, there has been hardly any improvement. People continue to suffer," said a Dapoli resident who visits his ancestral home during the festival.
Several people from cities travel to their ancestral homes in Konkan during the 10-day Ganesh Chaturthi festival. The substandard road conditions remain a concern for travellers and bus operators in the Mumbai-Goa route.
