Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
It has been over a decade since the district was declared the state's tourism capital. However, tourism development is not as expected due to a shortage of tourist-friendly facilities. The work of constructing the Ellora bypass, proposed one year ago, has been stalled after the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) demanded a land compensation of Rs 6.41 crore. Meanwhile, with the intervention of the district collector Deelip Swami, it is expected that the work is likely to gain momentum. Hence the survey for the bypass road will start soon.
Under the Grishneshwar Development Plan, a fund of Rs 26 crore has been sanctioned, but the bypass construction was halted since the MTDC insisted on paying compensation (of Rs 6.41 crore) against its land to be acquired for the road.
According to sources, “The district collector has intervened in the matter. Hence, the MTDC permitted to survey the bypass, on condition that the property should not get damaged.”
As per the revised plan, approval was given for the construction of a road outside the village. Of which, an 18-metre wide road, and 1,000 meters in length, will pass through an area of 18,000 square meters of MTDC land. For this, it has demanded compensation of Rs 6.41 crore. A discussion was held at the government level regarding who will be paying the compensation. Since no decision was made, MTDC did not permitted a survey of the road. As a result, even though the funds were allocated, the work has been delayed for a year.
The executive engineer (PWD) Sugriv Kendre said, “The administrative approval has been granted for the road work. The permission has been approved for surveying the road. Accordingly, the survey will be conducted within a week.”