PM to Launch Various Roads and Ports Projects in Maharashtra

Prime Minister Narendra Modi who will be on a day-long visit to Maharashtra on 16 August will launch various Roads and Ports projects.

These include Foundation laying of four laning for the Solapur-Maharashtra/Karnataka border section on Pune-Solapur stretch of National Highway-9 (NH-9.) at Solapur. The NH-9 connects the state of Maharashtra with Karnataka, Telangana & Andhra Pradesh and is taken up under the National Highways Development Project (NHDP). This is one of the major high-density traffic corridors in India connecting Northern & Western India with Southern India.

Prior to this function, upon his arrival in Mumbai, the Prime Minister will lay the foundation of a Port Connectivity Highway Project at the Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT). This project to be completed by December 2017 will cost about 1927 Crore rupees. The Ministry of Shipping under the National Highway Development & Port Connectivity Programme will execute this Project on Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) mode through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV).

Narendra Modi will also lay the foundation for a Port- Based Multi-product Special Economic Zone (SEZ) at the JNPT. This is also to be developed through JNPT-SPV (Special Purpose Vehicle) in 277 hectares under the Engineering, Procurement & Construction (EPC) mode and is to be completed in three years. This is planned to be a Self-Sustainable Integrated Development Project with an investment of about 4,000 Crore rupees and an employment generating potential of about 1.5 lakh direct and indirect jobs.

With a focus on collaborating with upcoming sectors of India, the SEZ will develop Free Trade Warehousing Zone for Engineering Goods Sector, Electronics and Hardware Sectors, Non- Conventional Energy Sector, Multi Services (IT and Healthcare) Sectors and Apparel and Textiles Sectors.

Narendra Modi will also participate in a function to allot land to JNPT- Project Affected persons (PAPs) under the 12.5% scheme. Now this land is being allocated to those land owners of the Navi Mumbai Project from which JNPT was given land in 1980s. Land owners were given assurances at the time of land acquisition that developed land would be given to them to the extent of 12.5% of the land acquired. The Ministry of Shipping has now transferred 12.5% of the 1172 hectares of land earlier transferred for the JNPT project. This land will now be handed over to the JNPT- (PAPs) to resolve the issue to the satisfaction of all.

The Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways & Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, has expedited clearance for all these these projects during a series of review meetings undertaken by him over the last couple of months.

The Maharashtra Governor K. Sankaranarayanan, the State Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, the Union Minister of Heavy Industries & Public Enterprises, Anant Geete, the Union Minister of State for Coal & Power Piyush Goyal, Senior officials of the concerned Ministries, Members of Parliament & senior politicians from the state are expected to attend the functions in Mumbai & Sholapur.

[Source: PIB (MORTH) Press Release dated 15^th August 2014]