Maharashtra cabinet gives green light to 800-km Shaktipeeth Expressway
The Maharashtra cabinet has sanctioned Rs 20,787 crore for the 'Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Expressway,' an 802-km project linking eastern Maharashtra with southern Konkan, reducing Nagpur-Goa travel time significantly. Additionally, allowances for Scheduled Tribes students in hostels were nearly doubled, and GST Act amendments were approved.
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The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday approved the allocation of Rs 20,787 crore for the ambitious ' Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Expressway ' which will pass through 12 districts, linking eastern Maharashtra with southern Konkan.The 802-km expressway will link Pavnar in Wardha district with Patradevi on Maharashtra-Goa border in Sindhudurg district, and is expected to cut the travel time between Nagpur and Goa from current 18 hours to eight hours, officials said.The cabinet meeting was chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis.The high-speed corridor will pass through the districts of Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg.Wherever there is opposition to the project for fear of land acquisition, talks should be held with the local farmers, the chief minister said at the meeting.According to officials, the expressway aims to connect key pilgrimage sites such as Mahur, Tuljapur, Kolhapur and Pandharpur in addition to prominent spiritual and historical places like Ambajogai, two 'Jyotirlings' of Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath; Karanja- Lad, Akkalkot, Audumber and Narsobachi Wadi.The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will implement the project, and HUDCO has sanctioned a loan of Rs 12,000 crore for the acquisition of nearly 7,500 hectares of land, officials said.The expressway aims to link all 'Shaktipeeths' in the state and develop rural areas through tourism and connectivity, they added.In another decision, the cabinet approved a long-pending revision of the allowances provided to Scheduled Tribes students living in hostels. Monthly living allowances were nearly doubled across categories.Divisional-level hostels will now provide Rs 1,400 per month (against Rs 800 at present), district-level hostels Rs 1,300 (up from Rs 600), and rural hostels Rs 1,000 (up from Rs 500). The special allowance for girl students has been raised from Rs 100 to Rs 150.Annual education material allowances too have been hiked, with students in classes 8 to10 now eligible for Rs 4,500 (from Rs 3,200), and medical or engineering students will get Rs 8,000 (up from Rs 6,000). Monthly food allowances have been increased to Rs 5,000 in city hostels and Rs 4,500 in district-level hostels.Currently, there are 490 tribal hostels in the state, catering to 57,700 students.The cabinet also cleared draft amendments to the Maharashtra Goods and Services Tax (GST) Act, 2017, aligning it with the Centre's 2025 Finance Act and decisions of the 55th GST Council meeting.It also approved amendments to a law dealing with the settlement of tax arrears of public sector undertakings, extending the definition of eligible applicants to include non-Companies Act entities like public sector banks and statutory bodies.A land parcel in Bandra East was officially transferred to the Public Works Department for the construction of a new High Court complex. The government also waived Rs 31.75 crore in slum rehabilitation dues, paving the way for clearing encroachments on the site.The cabinet also approved the allocation of 7,000 sq mt of reserved land at Chikhli in Pimpri Chichwad for a sewage treatment plant.To support urban development, the Cabinet decided to offer a state guarantee and waive off guarantee fees for a Rs 2,000 crore HUDCO loan to local bodies. It will help projects including water supply lines in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Mira-Bhayander, and a sewage treatment plant in Nagpur, officials said. PTI
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