Modi government gave a gift of Rs 20,668 crore
Wednesday was a very special day for the country in terms of road transport and connectivity. The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given green signal to two big road projects. A total of Rs 20,668 crore will be spent on these projects. This decision of the government is going to have a direct impact on the life of the common man, travel time and cost of freight transportation. After this approval, the picture of many districts of Maharashtra and Odisha is going to change, which will not only ease the traffic but will also create new employment opportunities.
19,000 crore mega plan for Maharashtra
Maharashtra is going to get the biggest benefit of this decision. The government has approved the construction of Nashik-Solapur-Akkalkot corridor, for which a huge budget of Rs 19,142 crore has been fixed. It will not be just a road, but a 6-lane access-controlled greenfield corridor. This means that it will be a completely new route, which has been designed for faster speed and safer travel.
The biggest feature of this corridor is that it will prove to be an important link in connecting the west coast with the east coast. This project will provide direct connectivity to important cities like Nashik, Ahilyanagar (Ahmednagar), Dharashiv and Solapur. If seen on the map, this route will act as a bridge between the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and the under-construction Chennai-Kurnool Corridor. This will not only benefit the passengers, but it will also be a boon for logistics.
17 hours will be saved in travel, travel experience will change
The biggest relief news for the common traveler is that with the construction of this corridor there will be a huge reduction in travel time. It is estimated that about 17 hours will be saved in the journey which currently takes a long time. According to the government, the travel distance through this new route will also be reduced by about 201 kilometers.
In terms of design, it is being prepared for a speed of 100 kilometers per hour, although the average speed is considered to be 60 kilometers per hour. Imagine, the journey which earlier took 31 hours will now be reduced to almost half. This will not only save time but will also help in reducing pollution by reducing fuel consumption. Besides, it will also meet the needs of Pune-Nashik Expressway, which was being demanded for a long time.
Development will get new momentum
Apart from Maharashtra, a project worth Rs 1,562 crore has also been approved for Odisha. Under this, National Highway-326 (NH-326) will be widened. This project will pass through three major tribal dominated and hilly districts of Odisha – Gajapati, Rayagada and Koraput.
With the widening of this road, towns like Mohana, Rayagada, Lakshmipur and Koraput will be directly connected to the main economic corridors. Its biggest advantage will be that access to Raipur-Vishakhapatnam corridor and Gopalpur port will become easier. Many big companies like Nalco, Vedanta and JK Paper are present in this area. With better roads, transportation of goods from these industries will become easier, which will lead to economic development of the entire area. Besides, students and patients going to Central University and Medical College of Koraput will also get better facilities.