Gadkari Says He Is Ashamed of Mumbai Goa Highway Delays, Will Skip Its Inauguration
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday expressed strong disappointment over the long delay in completing the Mumbai Goa highway. He said he was “ashamed” of the delay and indicated that action would be taken against contractors and officials found responsible.
Gadkari was speaking during the inauguration of a six lane elevated corridor in Porvorim, North Goa. He criticised the contractors working on the Mumbai Goa highway and suggested that his ministry could see an unprecedented number of contractors being blacklisted or debarred, along with officials facing suspension.
“The Mumbai Goa Highway has been quite delayed, and the contractors have failed. What has happened is very unfortunate. My department has set over seven world records for various works, but now I wish my department will have the record for blacklisting and debarring the single largest number of contractors and suspensions of officials within a single year,” he said.
The minister also said he was no longer waiting for an “auspicious time” to formally inaugurate the highway.
“I have decided I will not go for the inauguration of the Mumbai Goa highway because I’m ashamed at the delays,” Gadkari said. He added that he was told during a meeting the previous day that around 93 to 94 percent of the highway had been completed.
Gadkari said he planned to travel from Mumbai to Goa by road in October to personally assess the progress. “In October, I shall deboard at the Mumbai airport and come to Goa by car… to see the status of its completion,” he said.
The Mumbai Goa highway covers approximately 555 km and is intended to provide a road connection between Mumbai and Goa. Around 460 km of the route passes through Maharashtra and extends up to Patradevi in Sindhudurg district.
Within Maharashtra, the National Highways Authority of India is responsible for constructing 84 km of the highway, while the remaining 376 km is being developed by the state Public Works Department.
The widening work was originally expected to be completed in 2016. However, the project has faced repeated extensions and missed several completion targets. Gadkari has previously voiced his dissatisfaction over the continued delays.
Speaking about the newly inaugurated elevated corridor at Porvorim, Gadkari said the project would reduce travel time and make daily commuting easier for people travelling within Goa.
He also stressed the need to develop Goa’s highway infrastructure as “green highways”. He suggested that scientific landscaping and innovative infrastructure should be incorporated into future road development.
Gadkari further emphasised that road construction must maintain high standards of quality. He suggested conducting research to determine which varieties of trees are most effective at absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen.