The ambitious Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Express Way (NMSCEW) has been nicknamed the “Samruddhi Corridor” by the Maharashtra government, expected as it is to bring ‘prosperity’ to the state. Connecting the state capital Mumbai with its ‘second capital’ Nagpur, this six-lane, 800 km project passes through 10 districts and provides fast track connectivity to another 14 through with six-lane connecting ways.
Recently, government officials claimed that almost 90 per cent of land acquisition for the project is complete. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), entrusted with its execution, is currently busy with the financial closure of contracts for various parts of the project, say officials, adding that the actual work is likely to begin in January 2019, when PM Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the road set to be named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
The western part of Maharashtra already has good road infrastructure. 65 per cent of state’s industrial output comes from this area, while 90 per cent of state’s IT companies are located here. The Samruddhi Corridor will connect this to the eastern part of the state which is under-developed. The corridor passes through 65 per cent of state’s agro-based areas and is hence expected to substantially increase the trade of farm produce and encourage growth of agro-industries. This project, insists Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, will turn out to be a role model for integrated development.
According to estimates, upon completion in 2021, over 23,000 commercial vehicles are expected to use this corridor. The standards for this road are also being planned and set in such a manner that even with vehicles moving at a speed of 150 kmph, the road would be free of fatalities. This, officials say, will elevate the existing freight transport standards prevailing in the state to match global norms.
The travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai is also expected to come down to 8 hours from over 14 hours currently. Moreover, the expressway will have Wi-Fi access, traffic surveillance and enforcement, CCTVs to monitor its entire length, food plazas and restaurants, shops and wayside amenities like trauma centres, bus bays, truck terminuses, quick response teams etc., at 34 locations. These services, along with the industrial pockets that are expected to come up, will bring in 20 lakh jobs to the belt, show projections.
In the earlier version, the 55,000 crore project also had over 30 industrial townships along the way. However, after a series of agitations against land acquisition, the township portion of the plan was dropped. Instead, a network of 5,000 km of expressway quality roads linking the corridor to 24 districts would be developed, likely to do away with the need for the townships.
Considering the project’s scale, absolutely no delay has happened so far, officials insist, adding that this is a first-of-its-kind expressway. So far 22,803 farmers have given their land and approximately 1,173.05 crore has been spent to acquire 90.45 per cent of total 8,162.23 hectares required.