Paithan road widening proposal finally scrapped

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

A water pipeline has been laid along a stretch of 18 to 20 kilometres on the Paithan Road. Along this stretch, barricades will be installed and the road will be narrowed. Care will be taken to ensure that two-wheelers and four-wheelers do not pass over the pipeline. Where the road has narrowed, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) had earlier prepared a proposal to widen the road by acquiring land on the opposite side. It had informed the government that land acquisition alone would cost ₹350 crore. However, sources have said that this proposal has now been cancelled, as a new expressway-like road from Paithan to Shendra is to be developed, due to which the earlier proposal has been dropped.

To meet the city’s water needs, a large water pipeline of 2,500 mm diameter has been laid on Paithan Road. While laying the pipeline, the NHAI had allotted a space of 7.5 metres to the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP), and the pipeline was laid accordingly. Thereafter, the NHAI constructed the road. Once the road work was completed, it was realised that traffic cannot be allowed to run over the pipeline. If the pipeline were to burst, a vehicle could be thrown as high as 150 feet into the air. To address this serious issue, it was decided to install permanent iron barricades along the pipeline. Even if the road becomes narrower, dangerous traffic will not be permitted. The responsibility of installing the barricades has been assigned to the NHAI, and work in this regard is expected to begin soon.

Waiting for the expressway

Earlier, the NHAI had prepared a proposal to acquire new land on the side opposite the water pipeline along an 18 to 20 km stretch of Paithan Road. The idea was to widen the road on the other side by the same extent that it was narrowed due to the pipeline. A proposal stating that ₹350 crore would be required solely for land acquisition was sent to the government. However, sources have indicated that this proposal has been cancelled. In the future, a separate expressway-like road from Paithan to Shendra will be developed. As traffic on the existing Paithan Road is expected to reduce significantly, road widening will not be undertaken.

Pipeline testing to begin soon

In the coming days, testing of the water pipeline laid for the city will be carried out. Although political leaders are claiming that water will start reaching the city before January 15, it is certain that it will actually take a few more months for water supply to begin.