Nagpur: The proposed Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway will cost an estimated Rs 1.01 lakh crore under its revised alignment, the Maharashtra Legislative Council was informed on Tuesday.Various MLCs, through a starred question, had sought the status of the revised alignment, land acquisition, clearances and the project timeline. Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, in a written reply, said the revised alignment was sanctioned on April 1 and construction would begin in phases once required approvals were secured.The revised expressway is 856.77km long, up from 802.59km, and now runs through 13 districts after Satara was added. The earlier proposal of a single 21km tunnel through Western Ghats has been replaced with six separate tunnels after considering road safety, ease of construction and maintenance cost. The alignment was modified in parts of Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg districts following suggestions, objections and demands from local representatives, farmers and residents.Shinde said compensation for land acquisition would be fixed under Maharashtra Highways Act, 1955, and govt rules issued from time to time, taking into account market value, the multiplier and eligible resettlement and rehabilitation benefits. Work on land acquisition, environmental and forest clearances, statutory permissions, finalising the detailed project report (DPR) and the tendering process was being taken up simultaneously.On funding, the minister said various options were being considered to raise money for the project, including loans through Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), long-term funds from financial institutions and phased fund planning. No firm date for start of construction was provided in the reply.The starred question was raised by MLCs Hemant Patil, Krupal Tumane, Sadashiv Khot, Dr Manisha Kayande, Amit Gorkhe and Uma Khapre.
