Maharashtra sets a ‘Development Benchmark’ in infrastructure sector

There is no gainsaying the fact that Maharashtra has excellent infrastructure facilities, particularly huge road and express network, which are playing a key role in industrial growth in the state. With the industrial growth leading to massive economic growth in the state, Maharashtra has set a significant “development benchmark” for all other states of the country. Maharashtra’s outstanding performance in various sectors, especially infrastructure, serves as a standard by which other states are being judged. Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event recently showered praise on Maharashtra for the pace of development it has achieved. He has underlined that the infrastructure development in Maharashtra is definitely a benchmark for other states which are working to improve the road and expressway network.

There are reports how official teams from different states are studying the nitty-gritty of the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Mahamarg project which was smoothly carried out by MSRDC and War Room Infrastructure Projects set up by Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. Radheshyam Mopalwar, who worked closely with the project as MSRDC MD, and as DG War Room, is said to be sharing his experience with the officials from other states who try to understand various components of this huge project.

The 701-km Nagpur-Mumbai expressway is nearing completion, with less than 100 km stretch remaining to be completed. Mopalwar has himself said that Samruddhi Mahamarg is a test case of execution and compensation. This project has been phenomenal, from land acquisition to the completion. What is more significant is Mopalwar’s experience in land acquisition which happens to be the most important part of any development project. Teams from centre and states must be looking forward to learning from “land acquisition exercise” in this Mumbai-Nagpur huge project. Mopalwar, who has been instrumental in land acquisition and settling compensation matters, is the most preferred officer for the teams seeking to understand the whole process. The expressway named as Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra

Samruddhi Mahamarg, was the first example of mass scale acquisition where 20,000 acres of land was acquired in a single state. The upcoming Delhi-Mumbai expressway is longer than Samruddhi Mahamarg but it passes through five states. No single state has ever witnessed this scale of land aggregation. Mopalwar informed the media that “we took more than 300,000 signatures of owners and different stakeholders, including tribals and the forest department.”

There are other expressway projects which are being handled by the Mopalwar-led team of the War Room put Maharashtra on high pedestal as far as development is concerned. The Nagpur-Goa Expressway, also known as Shaktipeeth Expressway, which is 760-km long, six-lane access-controlled expressway, is being handled by the War Room. Once completed, this will be another achievement of the team Maharashtra in the infra sector. The War Room has already started working on it with coordination among various departments concerned. Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis are personally monitoring and reviewing the progress of the project. Veteran bureaucrat Mopalwar has helped develop the blueprint of the project.

The Shaktipeeth Expressway will pass through 11 districts of Maharashtra and one district of Goa. Mopalwar’s role is crucial as this road has to be operated and maintained by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). The agency would be guided and mentored by Mopalwar who had worked as MD of the MSRDC when the Samruddhi Mahamarg project was planned and executed. The Shaktipeeth Expressway project will be built at a cost of ₹ 83,600 crore.

This expressway is set to boost religious tourism as it will pass through three Shakti Peethas, namely Mahalakshmi, Tuljabhavani and Patradevi. In fact, the Maharashtra government planned to build this expressway from Nagpur to Goa to improve connectivity, tourism, development and economic growth. The expressway will help alleviate poverty in the regions of Vidarbha, Marathwada and Western Maharashtra. The expressway will cover these regions. Once completed, these regions will see

exponential growth with the growth of industries and socio-economic development by promoting employment among people living in the regions. Planning and implementation of the project would be another gigantic challenge after Samruddhi Mahamarg. The government is hopeful that the Shinde-led War Room with officers like Mopalwar will be able to overcome the challenges. This will be another huge road network project that will stand Maharashtra in good stead. Once completed successfully, this will be another example of Maharashtra government’s will power, administrative competence, and efficient machinery. The other states must be watching closely how Maharashtra implements Shaktipeeth Expressway project after successful completion of Samruddhi Mahamarg.

As India under leadership of PM Modi has set its eyes on the goal of being a USD 5 Trillion economy by the year 2026-2027, hopes are high from Maharashtra which has always been a significant contributor to the country’s growth. It is expected to play a significant role in the overall goal of achieving a USD 5 trillion economy. The expressway projects such as Samruddhi Mahamarg, which is in final stages of being completed and upcoming Shaktipeeth Expressway apart from Nagpur-Delhi Expressway, are great contributors to Maharashtra economic growth. This is what makes Maharashtra the greatest contributor to India’s economic development.