Gadkari plans 1,300 amenities on Mum-Goa highway

Panaji: The proposed four laning of highway connecting Goa and Mumbai will have around 1,300 roadside amenities including helipads and outlets selling local produce, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said today.

The Minister for Road Transport and Highways laid the foundation stone for four/six laning of National Highway 4A and National Highway 17 in Goa. "While constructing the road with international standard, we have tried to ensure that it is accident-free.

We have also decided to construct roadside amenities on this (Mumbai-Goa) highway," said Gadkari. "These amenities can be created considering the tourism potential. Hotels, restaurants and outlets selling local produce can be promoted as a part of these amenities. The local food can be made available along the road," he added.

According to the Minister, there will also be a provision for helipads so that if there is any accident, the helicopter can be moved in swiftly. "We have planned 1,300 roadside amenities along the entire (Mumbai-Goa) highway," said Gadkari.

He also said the highway connecting Goa to Mumbai is one of the most important road in the country. "This road is significant for the development of in Konkan and Goa area. But the only negative side of this highway is that it has highest number of accidents in the country killing several people," the Minister added.

"To make this road accident free and to reduce the distance between Goa and Mumbai, we have decided to construct four lane concrete road," he said adding this work will be divided in four packages in Goa, while in eleven packages in Maharashtra.

"Today we are laying foundation stone for the two packages in Goa of which tendering would be done shortly. At the same time, there are two more packages covering South

Goa, which are pending, the tender of which would be out by 2-3 months," he said.

Gadkari further said the Centre would be spending Rs 5,000 crore on all the four packages in Goa. "Similarly in Maharashtra there are eleven packages of which the work on seven packages is going on, the tender for two more packages would be released in a month and rest two by another three months.

"In Maharashtra section, total Rs 12,000 crore would be spent on these packages. Mumbai-Goa highway will be constructed by spending Rs 17,000 crore," he said.