Mumbai: After much delay, the Maharastra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has mustered the confidence to start with its ambitious Samruddhi Mahamarg (Mumbai-Nagpur expressway) by next month.
The officials revealed that 90 per cent of the land acquisition had been completed which was mandatory for contractors to start work. The remaining 10 per cent of land would be acquired by January next year.
“Contractors have been appointed for all 17 packages so by December first week, we plan to start the work on the Samruddhi corridor,” said a senior official from MSRDC.
“Negotiations for the remaining 10 per cent are in process. If people do not agree through direct purchase, acquisition will be done under the Land Ac-quisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement) Act,” he said.
Recently, the Forest Development Corporation of Maharashtra (FDCM) was appointed to identify trees that will be affected during construction. “The FDCM has counted the number of affected trees and also started cutting down trees,” the official said. According to reports, nearly one lakh trees will be cut for the project.
The 701-km-long corridor is expected to be completed within 36 months after starting work.
