Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said he will travel by road from Mumbai to Goa in October to review the progress and quality of work on the delayed Mumbai-Goa highway widening project, while warning that contractors and officials responsible for poor execution could face blacklisting or suspension.
Gadkari made the remarks after inaugurating a six-lane elevated road corridor at Porvorim near Panaji. Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant, Union Minister Shripad Naik, state Public Works Department Minister Digambar Kamat, Tourism Minister Rohan Khaunte and other officials attended the event, according to the report.
The minister said he had previously decided not to attend the inauguration of the widened highway because he felt ashamed by the extent of the delays. He said officials had held a meeting on the issue on Tuesday and that he would land at Mumbai airport in October before travelling by road to Goa to assess whether the route had become more convenient for travellers.
Gadkari said he wanted to set a record for blacklisting contractors involved in poor-quality work and suspending officials responsible for delays or substandard execution in infrastructure projects. He said the government would continue taking stringent action and that he intended to pursue such measures within a year.
The Mumbai-Goa highway runs through Maharashtra’s coastal Konkan region and its widening work has faced repeated delays. The minister’s proposed inspection is expected to focus on the completed work and the travel conditions along the route, although the report does not specify an inspection schedule, project completion date or the number of contractors and officials currently facing action.
Gadkari also called on the Goa government to develop roadside amenities that reflect the state’s architecture, cuisine and handicraft traditions. He said such facilities could give travellers access to Goan food and local handloom and handicraft products. He proposed adding facilities for biofuels, electric vehicles and other alternative fuels alongside existing petrol and diesel pumps.
The minister said landscaping along the highway should be based on scientific planning rather than arbitrary tree plantation by contractors. He called for studies to identify suitable flowering trees and species that absorb more carbon dioxide and release oxygen, and appealed to the Goa government and local legislators to support the development of the route as a “green highway” or “oxygen park”.
At the Porvorim event, Gadkari said the newly inaugurated elevated corridor had increased effective capacity from a road designed for two lanes to a corridor providing capacity equivalent to 10 lanes, with four lanes at ground level and six lanes on the elevated section.
He also urged Goa authorities to address water, air and noise pollution, prevent waste from reaching the sea and conduct a comprehensive review of traffic conditions. Measures suggested by the minister included consolidating markets, moving warehouses outside cities, upgrading bus depots and synchronising traffic movement. He further promoted electric, hydrogen and flex-fuel technologies as alternatives intended to reduce pollution.
Gadkari’s October road inspection and the government’s proposed action against contractors and officials are the next stated steps in the review of the delayed highway project.
