MSRDC floats Rs 23,000 crore tenders to extend Samruddhi Mahamarg to four East Vidarbha districts

The project to extend the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Mahamarg to the far-flung districts of East Vidarbha has moved forward. The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has issued tenders worth about Rs 23,000 crore for the extension.

Four new link expressways will be built to connect Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur to the Samruddhi Mahamarg network. The target is to complete the tender process in the next two months and to finish the project within two years of the start of construction.

The Samruddhi Mahamarg, which began from the vision of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has cut travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai. The government is now preparing to extend the same road network to East Vidarbha. The state government had on September 24 approved an overall plan worth about Rs 42,000 crore. The four new link expressways will be developed under it, giving the region's distant districts better road connectivity.

According to MSRDC officials, the tender process for the project has begun. Construction is planned to start once the tender process is completed in the next two months. Efforts will then be made to finish the work within the set timeframe.

MSRDC Vice Chairman and Managing Director Anilkumar Gaikwad said infrastructure projects in the state are being pushed ahead quickly and the extension of the Samruddhi Mahamarg is part of that plan. He said that once the work order is issued, the effort will be to complete the project in two years.

The project is expected to make it easier for people in Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli and Chandrapur to reach other parts of the state through the Samruddhi Mahamarg. Better road connectivity could cut travel time and also boost trade, industry and transport activity.

According to MSRDC official Samay Nikose, the plan is to complete the tender process in the next two months and begin construction immediately afterwards. The pace of the project will now depend on whether the next stages of tendering and construction are completed on time.