While many ambitious highway and expressway projects have been successfully executed in different parts of the country over the past few years, the Mumbai-Goa highway project has been lingering for one reason or another. As a result of the pitiable condition of the highway, more than 2400 people have lost their lives in nearly 6700 accidents between 2010 and 2022 travelling on it.
This is official statistics concerning the Mumbai-Goa Highway (NH-66), which is a 471 km-long stretch. Its upgradation and expansion has been delayed by at least 10 years. The four-lane highway to connect Panvel near Mumbai to Pollem in South Goa is planned to provide ease of travelling. The project has commenced in 2011 and is expected to be ready by May 2023, according to various announcements and undertakings.
Till now at least, the drive is a nightmare that can take up to 13-hour-journey on a pothole-ridden highway. Road accidents continue to occur. As and when four-laning of NH-66 is completed, the travel time is expected to reduce to under 8 hours. However, but the deadline of next year appears dubious. Apprehensions have been expressed that it can be extended to 2024.
There are many reasons. Foremost is the delayed acquisition of forest lands needed to broaden the highway. Determining and paying compensation for acquired private lands is another cause for delay. The Covid pandemic is among the other reasons that have prevented timely completion of the highway. According to official accounts, nearly 67 percent of the work is over while it is progressing well in the remaining parts.
The project highlight is to widen the existing highway into a four-lane road that will pass through Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts of the Konkan region. The highway begins at Panvel in Raigad district and touches towns like Pen, Mangaon, Mahad and Poladpur. It enters Ratnagiri district at Khed and covers Chiplun, Sangameshwar, Ratnagiri, Lanja and Rajapur. After passing through Kankavli, Kudal and Sawantwadi in Sindhudurg district, it proceeds to Panaji and ends at Margao in Goa.
The main benefit of the project is that a safe travelling experience for the people will become available. Reduction of chances of accidents and promoting tourism as well as local industry in the stretch are obvious plus points of the project.
While hearing various petitions complaining the unsatisfactory progress of the project, the High Court in Mumbai regularly reviews the undertakings by the government.
The project’s completion in the near future has impacted the real estate scenario along the stretch. Residential and second home demands have shown a steady upwards graph in and around the areas between Mumbai and Goa. According to some experts, there has been substantial increase in demand for land. The average land rates just in the vicinity of Mumbai are said to be around Rs.15 lakh per acre. They are expected to go up sharply.
Assuaging the feelings caused by the delay, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has assured that the work on highway will be completed within the next one year. Gadkari said the work was going on in eleven phases. He admitted that the initial work was delayed due to land acquisition and obtaining permissions from railways and forest department to work in their areas. This highway will be extended beyond Goa to Mangalore in Karnataka, he announced. Provided that government lands are available along the Mumbai-Goa Highway, a logistics park and truck terminal will be developed, he said.
Describing the Konkan region, Gadkari said it has a rich heritage of forts, ports, beaches and waterways. Ropeways to reach the forts will be developed by using latest technology available. As a means to boost tourism, he suggested organising light and sound shows at the forts and other historical locations.
But the government’s promises have failed to impress the high court. While questioning the slow pace of the work, it had last year directed the state government to review the ongoing construction work by December and complete the project at the earliest.
It had warned that it will not permit the government to take up any new development project until this highway widening work was completed. It also directed the government to repair the highway and eliminate the potholes within three weeks so as to avoid any mishaps. The stern warning did not leave any scope to wriggle out for the government.
The court was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by lawyer Owais Pechkar, a regular traveller on the highway. After failing to get any relief from the authorities, he had sought directions from the court to the state and Centre to repair potholes on the highway, which was continuously witnessing accidents. In fact, Pechkar had filed an earlier PIL in 2018 seeking similar directions. Then also, a HC bench had observed that a highway free of potholes was the least a government should do for people.
Enraged by the slow pace of work, a public demonstration was held on the highway at Pen last month by local people. The protestors alleged that the work had been going on the last 12 years and there was no guarantee when it would be completed. Owing to the horrible condition of the highway, frequent accidents had been taking place.
The rasta rook was organised by a local organisation, ‘Mazhe Pen’ (My Pen). It demanded filing criminal cases against the contractors delaying the work. It was alleged that over 18000 lives have been lost on the highway ever since it four-laning work began.
India pays a heavy price for neglecting its roads. According to expert reports, Uttar Pradesh has the most deaths caused by potholes, followed by Maharashtra. Haryana, Gujarat, Delhi, Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and West Bengal are the other states aggrieved by this neglect. According to official statistics, the potholes claimed 11836 lives and injured 36421 people in India between 2013 and 2016.
Each year, the problem goes on aggravating with each monsoon. Road safety is a very important thing. India has only 2 percent of motor vehicles in the world but about 12 percent of the deaths occur in the country due to traffic accidents. According to research by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and Pacific (UNESCAP), road traffic crashes cost India about 3 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year, or about US $ 58000 million in absolute terms.
A Column By
Dilip Chaware – Senior Editor
A media professional for 43 years, with extensive experience of writing on
a variety of subjects; he is also a documentary producer and book author.
