Maharashtra Cabinet Clears Metro, Ring Road, Highway Projects
The meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by the Chief Minister at Mantralaya, was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and senior officials, including Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal.
Mumbai:The Maharashtra Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure on Tuesday approved the 35-km Metro Line–8 connecting Mumbai and Navi Mumbai airports, the 66.15-km Nashik City Ring Road, and a revised four-lane highway project in Gadchiroli aimed at facilitating mineral transport. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed that land acquisition and statutory clearances be completed before execution and that all projects be finished within three years to prevent cost overruns.
The meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure, chaired by the Chief Minister at Mantralaya, was attended by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and senior officials, including Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal.
The committee approved Metro Line–8 linking Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport at Andheri (East) with Navi Mumbai International Airport. Officials said the 35-km corridor will include 9.25 km of underground sections and 24.64 km of elevated stretches, with a total of 20 stations — six underground and 14 elevated.
The project will require the acquisition of 30.7 hectares of land at an estimated cost of Rs 388 crore. The total estimated cost of Metro Line–8 is Rs 22,862 crore, an official from the Chief Minister’s Office said.
The Chief Minister instructed that all procedures related to land acquisition and statutory approvals be completed before execution, with land acquisition to be completed within six months. Speaking to reporters at Mantralaya, he said the Metro project was targeted for completion within five years, but the government aimed to finish it within three-and-a-half years.
Mr Fadnavis said Metro Line–8 would also connect Lokmanya Tilak Terminus at Kurla, link two major railway junctions and integrate with three other metro corridors. The project will be implemented under the public–private partnership (PPP) model, with equity participation of 20 per cent each from the Centre and the State, while the remaining 60 per cent will be arranged by the private partner.
The committee also approved the 66.15-km Nashik City Ring Road project, costing Rs 3,954 crore, in view of the upcoming Kumbh Mela. As a special provision, work orders have been issued after completion of 50% of land acquisition.
In addition, the Cabinet Committee cleared the revised 85.76-km Navegaon More–Konsari–Mulchera–Hedri–Surjagad four-lane highway project in Gadchiroli district for mineral transportation. The cement concrete highway will also include space on both sides for future gas pipelines, as gas connectivity up to Surjagad is planned.
Mr Fadnavis also directed officials to expedite work on the Nagpur–Gondia and Bhandara–Gadchiroli sections under the Samruddhi Expressway extension project, stressing that projects would not be allowed to stall under any circumstances.
The Chief Minister further announced that an ‘auto mode’ mechanism would be introduced to incentivise contractors who complete projects on time and penalise those who exceed stipulated timelines.
