PANAJI
Four-laning of entire Goa-Mumbai National Highway-66 is set for completion in the next six months, and work on nearly 463 km has already been completed, according to Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari.
In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Gadkari said the four-laning of the Goa (Panaji) to Mumbai (Panvel) highway is being executed in 14 phases.
Responding to a query posed by Sadanand Shet Tanavade, the minister said work on the first phase, from Pune to Indapur, had begun in December 2011 at a sanctioned cost of Rs 14,106 crore.
However, the work had stalled due to insufficient capital with the contractors, land acquisition, and other construction-related difficulties.
Gadkari said all pending issues related to the highway project have now been resolved after discussions with the State governments, and the cost of the entire project is expected to rise to Rs 19,469 crore.
The cost has escalated due to an increase in the costs of land acquisition, modifications in the nature of the work due to difficulties encountered during construction, and the additional underpasses being built as per the demands of various public representatives, Gadkari further stated in the reply.
