Mahad tragedy: New bridge across Savitri to be opened in June
On August 2 last year, close to 30 people were killed after the British-era bridge was washed away near Mahad. File On August 2 last year, close to 30 people were killed after the British-era bridge was washed away near Mahad. File
Almost a year after a bridge across the Savitri river in Mahad collapsed, the state’s Public Works Department is ready to throw open the new bridge in June.
“After the incident, we had targeted that the new bridge should be completed before the rains, and I am happy to announce that on June 5, it will be inaugurated by Nitin Gadkari and Uddhav Thackeray,” said Chandrakant Dada Patil, Maharashtra’s Revenue Minister.
On the night of August 2, 2016, two buses and about 10 private vehicles fell into a swollen Savitri river after a British-era bridge was washed away near Mahad on the Mumbai-Goa national highway, killing close to 30 people.
Speaking at a press conference, Patil claimed, “Since the NDA government has come to power at the Centre, Maharashtra has seen an increase of close to 15,000 km increase in national highways being constructed — a surge from 5,600 kms to 19,525 kms. The central government is spending Rs 1 lakh crore on this work and of this, the DPR is ready for projects worth Rs 70,000 crore,with the tender process on. During the monsoon, we plan to complete technical things such as preparing the DPR, issuing tender and work orders and completing the loan procedure. The work should begin by September 15 and should be completed by January 2019.”
The widening of the Mumbai-Goa highway, also called the National Highway 66, to a four-lane road is one of these projects. The first phase from Panvel to Indapur is scheduled to be completed by March 2018, while the remaining stretch from Indapur to Zarap should be completed by January 2019 in 10 packages.
“Along with the inauguration of the bridge, we will also conduct the bhoomipujan for the Sindhudurg portion of the Mumbai- Goa Highway widening and should begin work,” he added.
That apart, the Centre is also planning to develop a Coastal Highway on the Mumbai-Goa route and the PWD is working on the DPR for the project.
“The DPR is almost complete and the tenders should be floated by May 31. The Coastal Highway will not only help vehicular flow, but also boost tourism in the area,” said Patil.
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