CM Fadnavis Directs Timely Land Acquisition for Key Infrastructure Projects Across Maharashtra
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed that land acquisition for all major infrastructure projects across the state be completed as per the prescribed schedule and that the execution of these projects be expedited without delay. He emphasized that no project should be stalled due to issues related to land acquisition and instructed all concerned agencies to ensure timely action.
CM Fadnavis conducted a detailed review of ongoing land acquisition efforts at his official residence, Varsha. The meeting covered key road infrastructure projects such as the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Highway, Virar-Alibag Corridor, Jalna-Nanded Expressway, Pune Ring Road East, West and its extension, Bhandara-Gadchiroli Expressway, Nagpur-Chandrapur Expressway, Nagpur-Gondiya Expressway, Navegaon (Mor)-Surjagad Mineral Corridor, and the Vadhan-Igatpuri Expressway.
In addition, land acquisition progress for railway lines including Wardha-Nanded and Wardha-Gadchiroli, as well as airport projects in Kolhapur, Karad, Akola, Gadchiroli, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar was reviewed.
Highlighting that delays escalate project costs significantly, CM Fadnavis reiterated that all agencies have been given strict timelines for completion and must operate in mission mode. He stressed that the land acquisition process must be taken seriously and moved forward immediately with quality and efficiency.
For the Shaktipeeth Highway, the Chief Minister instructed that the planning be carried out with urgency to minimize the impact on forest land. He directed the Finance Department to allocate ₹12,000 crore for its land acquisition.
Regarding the Virar-Alibag corridor, which traverses through forest and mangrove areas between Morbe and Karanja, Fadnavis ordered the immediate initiation of the required environmental permissions. Simultaneously, he insisted that administrative processes continue in parallel to avoid delays.
He also directed officials to submit a proposal for including the Vadhan-Igatpuri Expressway in the Sagarmala scheme and asked that the land acquisition at Selu in Parbhani district for the Jalna-Nanded Expressway be completed within 15 days.
The Chief Minister further stressed the urgency of finalizing plans for all Vidarbha expressways, namely Bhandara-Gadchiroli, Nagpur-Chandrapur, and Nagpur-Gondiya. He ordered the land acquisition for Wardha-Gadchiroli and Wardha-Nanded railway projects to be completed within 15 days and the groundwork to begin immediately.
For the Gadchiroli Airport, he instructed the district collector to conduct an Obstacle Limitation Surface (OLS) survey and submit a proposal. At the Akola Airport, CM Fadnavis demanded that the runway be extended to 2,400 meters and that a modern, spacious, and well-designed terminal be constructed.
The Chief Minister also emphasized that the state government must provide ₹53,354 crore required for land acquisition across 11 major projects.
The high-level meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department Rajesh Kumar, Public Works Department ACS Manisha Mhaiskar, Forest Department ACS Milind Mhaiskar, Transport and Ports Department ACS Sanjay Sethi, Finance Department ACS O.P. Gupta, Urban Development Department ACS Asim Kumar Gupta, and MRDC Managing Director Anil Gaikwad, among others.