New govt revitalizes Goa highway project

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  Four-Laning Put On NHAI Priority List A week is not yet up since Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet assumed office and the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has already put on its immediate agenda for land acquisition and widening work four stretches of the accident-prone MumbaiGoa highway where a fourlaning project has faced starting trouble. These four stretches together make up 371 km from Indapur to Zara. "We got a call from NHAI saying that acquisition process was being taken to the official and legal paperwork stage to release funds for compensation and construction work," an official linked with the project said. The man in the Cabinet with the transport & highways portfolio is Nitin Gadkari, the brains behind the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. Officials said road work on the Goa highway would begin after a year and take at least three years to complete. National Highway 17, as it is officially called, is largely a two-lane affair without dividers and has seen the most accidents and deaths in the state in recent years. An official with the PWD said nods would be required from railways, forest and electricity departments. Once the highway is widened, the one-way toll might be Rs 350 to 400 for a car. Other pending issues are restriction on expansion along the Karnala bird sanctuary, Indapur villagers' flyover demand, and nonperforming contractors.