Maharashtra Govt to Expand Samruddhi Mahamarg; 12 More Districts in Vidarbha Region to be Connected

The Maharashtra government has decided to connect 12 more districts to the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi mega highway, also known as ‘Hindurhidaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Samruddhi’. This will help boost road connectivity while the state government is likely to spend Rs 60,000 crore.

The 701-km highway, which is considered to be the longest such in India, has given a boost to the state’s economy. As of now, Nagpur, Wardha, Amaravati, Washim, Buldana, Jalna, Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar, Nashik and Ahmednagar have been connected via this highway. Now, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has decided to connect 12 more districts of the Vidarbha region in the expansion plan.

For the expansion, the land acquisition in the Vidarbha region will likely begin from April. As per the expansion plan, Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia districts will be connected via 141 km of the Nagpur-Gondia highway. For the construction of this stretch, the MSRDC has estimated Rs 15,622 crore. It will help connect the Samruddhi mega highway to the Nagpur ring road and further to Bhandara and Gadchiroli.

According to the expansion plan, the Bhandara-Gondia highway will connect the Bhandara, Gondia and Gadchiroli districts. This stretch will be 142 km in length and will further be connected to the Nagpur-Gondia highway and Durg-Hyderabad highway. For this, Rs 370 crore is the estimated expenditure.

Authorities have also planned a new highway between Nagpur and Chandrapur through which Nagpur, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli will be connected to the Samruddhi mega highway. For this 195-km stretch, the MSRDC will have to bear a cost of Rs 10,559 crore. It will help connect the Sindhi dry port interchange to the Samruddhi mega highway and Surajgad mining corridor and further to the Durg-Hyderabad highway.

The Nanded-Jalna highway will connect Parbhani, Jalna, and Nanded districts to the Samruddhi mega highway. This will be 180 km in length, and will be connected to Samruddhi at Jalna. The estimated cost for this will be Rs 19,000 crore.