June 20, 2025: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed all departments to fast-track land acquisition for key infrastructure projects, warning that no delay would be tolerated. Chairing a high-level review meeting at his official residence ‘Varsha’, CM Fadnavis emphasized that land-related bottlenecks should not hold back the state’s road, rail, and airport development goals.
“Delays in land acquisition escalate project costs and timelines. All departments have strict deadlines and must work in mission mode,” he stated. A provision of Rs 53,354 crore has been recommended for acquiring land for 11 major infrastructure projects across Maharashtra.
For the Nagpur–Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway, the CM directed that alignment be finalised via the Gati Shakti portal to reduce forest land impact. The finance department will allocate Rs 12,000 crore for its land acquisition. In the case of the Virar–Alibaug Corridor, he ordered swift clearances for forest and mangrove areas between Morbe and Karanja. Similarly, land acquisition in Selu, Parbhani for the Jalna–Nanded Expressway and the Wardha–Nanded and Wardha–Gadchiroli rail lines must be completed within 15 days.
Fadnavis also proposed including the Vadhavan–Igatpuri Expressway in the Sagarmala initiative. He instructed that final plans for the Bhandara–Gadchiroli, Nagpur–Chandrapur, and Nagpur–Gondia expressways be routed through the Gati Shakti portal.
On aviation, the CM reviewed progress on airport projects in Gadchiroli, Akola, Karad, Kolhapur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. He directed a detailed OLS survey for Gadchiroli airport and proposed extending Akola’s runway to 2,400 meters to develop a modern aviation hub.
The meeting underscores the government’s push to synchronize approvals, finances, and administrative procedures, ensuring Maharashtra’s mega infrastructure projects stay on track and meet delivery timelines.
Source: The Free Press Journal
