Unmesh Gujarathi
sproutsnews.com
The 700 km Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Highway was inaugurated with great fanfare by the Shinde-Fadnavis government at the hands of Prime Minister Modi. The condition of the highway that claims to take you from Mumbai to Nagpur in 12 hours is pathetic. The Samruddhi Highway has been controversial since its inception due to the several number of fatal accidents reported on the highway. Questions are being raised regarding the quality of the project after a bridge on this highway has developed a huge pothole. Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee President Nana Patole said that the pothole has not only exposed the quality of the road but has also exposed the corruption in the Shinde-Fadnavis government.
Speaking in this regard, Congress state president Nana Patole said that the news of the bridge near Lohogaon in Nandgaon Khandeshwar taluka of Amravati district developing a huge crater has been reported. It is clear that the construction quality of this road is not good as it has developed such a massive pothole in just 14 months of its inauguration.
Complaints about defects in the design and construction of the Samruddhi Highway have been made, but these were ignored. The Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi highway that was built at the cost of Rs 55,000 crore has been a breeding ground for corruption since its inception.
There was a lot of corruption during the acquisition of land for the highway and there are problems in the technical aspect of this highway as well.
Thousands of crores of rupees were paid to a special team of experts for the design of the Samruddhi Highway, but considering the number of accidents, it seems that not much care was taken while constructing the highway. Norms fixed by the National Highways Authority and for expressways were not followed.
Some experts say that road hypnosis causes accidents, but nothing has been done to find a solution. Tea and water facilities, hotels and toilets are not available for long distances on the road. Nana Patole added that now it is clear who has prospered by the construction of the highway.