The Mumbai-Goa highway widening project is nearly 93-94% complete, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said, while criticising the delay and execution of the long-running National Highway 66 project through Maharashtra’s Konkan region.
Gadkari said he would not attend the inauguration of the widened highway because he felt “ashamed” that the project had taken so long. Instead, he said he would travel by road from Mumbai to Goa in October to inspect the route and assess whether the journey had become more convenient for travellers.
“I had announced earlier that I would not come for the inauguration of the widened Mumbai-Goa highway because I felt ashamed that it had been delayed so much,” Gadkari said. He added that a meeting on the project had been held with officials on Tuesday.
The minister also warned that contractors and government officials responsible for delays and poor-quality infrastructure work would face strict action. He said he wanted to blacklist a large number of contractors and suspend officials within a year, adding that he would continue taking such action.
The highway widening project has faced repeated delays along the coastal Konkan route, which connects Mumbai with Goa and serves local communities, commercial traffic and tourists. The supplied report did not specify a revised completion date or identify the contractors and officials who could face action.
Gadkari was speaking after inaugurating a six-lane elevated road corridor at Porvorim near Panaji. The Rs 641-crore, 5.15-km corridor on NH-66 is expected to reduce travel time by around 30-40 minutes and ease congestion at three major junctions.
According to the minister, the former two-lane road at the location now has capacity equivalent to 10 lanes, with four lanes below and six lanes on the elevated section. The corridor is intended to improve connections between Panaji, Porvorim, Mapusa and North Goa, while also strengthening access to Mopa International Airport and neighbouring Maharashtra.
Gadkari asked the Goa government to develop roadside amenities along the Mumbai-Goa highway that reflect the state’s architecture, cuisine and handicraft traditions. He also called for fuel stations to add facilities for biofuels, electric vehicles and other alternative fuels.
The minister urged authorities to use scientific landscaping and develop the highway as a “green highway”, including through an approach similar to an oxygen park. He also called for measures to prevent waste from entering the sea and for action to reduce water, air and noise pollution.
Gadkari further sought a comprehensive traffic study and reforms covering market consolidation, the relocation of warehouses outside cities, improved bus depots and synchronised traffic management. His planned October road journey from Mumbai to Goa will be the next stated inspection milestone for the highway project.
