Mumbai-Goa Highway Delays Put Contractors Under Fresh Scrutiny
Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said on Wednesday that he plans to intensify action against contractors and officials responsible for delays and poor-quality infrastructure work, including on the Mumbai-Goa Highway.
Speaking after inaugurating a six-lane elevated road corridor at Porvorim near Panaji, Gadkari said he wanted to set a record for blacklisting contractors and suspending officials found responsible for delays or substandard execution. His remarks were reported by The Times of India.
Gadkari said he had earlier declined to attend the inauguration of the widened Mumbai-Goa Highway because he felt ashamed by the prolonged delay in completing the work. He said he now plans to travel from Mumbai to Goa by road in October to inspect the completed sections and assess whether the journey has become more convenient for travellers.
The Mumbai-Goa Highway widening project runs through Maharashtra’s coastal Konkan region and has faced repeated delays. Gadkari said officials had held a meeting on the issue on Tuesday. He added that action against contractors and officials would continue, with a stated target of blacklisting contractors and suspending officials within a year.
The minister’s comments came alongside broader directions on the highway’s roadside development and operation. He called on the Goa government to create roadside amenities reflecting the state’s architecture, cuisine and handicraft traditions. The proposed facilities could include opportunities for travellers to access Goan food and purchase handloom and handicraft products.
Gadkari also proposed adding infrastructure for electric vehicles, biofuels and other alternative fuels alongside existing petrol and diesel pumps on the route. He said the ministry would be prepared to support such facilities if the Goa government submitted a request.
On landscaping, the minister said planting should follow scientific planning rather than arbitrary tree plantation by contractors. He called for studies to identify suitable flowering trees and species capable of absorbing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen. Gadkari also appealed to Goa’s chief minister and legislators to support the development of the highway as a green corridor, referring to the possibility of an “oxygen park” model similar to one he said had been developed in Nagpur.
The minister linked infrastructure quality to investment, employment and poverty reduction, while also asking Goa authorities to address water, air and noise pollution and prevent waste from reaching the sea. He called for a review of traffic conditions, including market consolidation, relocation of warehouses outside cities, upgrades to bus depots and better coordination of traffic movement.
The Porvorim elevated corridor, inaugurated at the event, was described by Gadkari as increasing effective capacity on a road that originally had two-lane capacity. He said the corridor provides four lanes at ground level and six lanes on the elevated section, resulting in effective capacity equivalent to ten lanes.
Gadkari’s proposed October road inspection and the stated timeline for action against contractors and officials are the next milestones identified in the minister’s remarks.
