Lokmat News Network
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Maharashtra Jeevan Pradhikaran (MJP) have identified technical errors in the Paithan to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar road and the adjacent main water pipeline work under the city's new water supply scheme. To address these issues, a new solution has been proposed—land acquisition and road widening. The amount of land required, the estimated cost, and the new road alignment plan have to be finalised by the June 30 deadline.
In a meeting held on Thursday in the presence of Divisional Commissioner Dilip Gawde, it was decided that a preliminary survey would be conducted, and a report would be submitted before the next meeting. Hence the discussions regarding the land acquisition process will take place in the next meeting.
Along the 30-metre-wide Paithan to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar road, within an 8-metre distance, a new 2500 mm diameter water pipeline is being laid alongside the existing 1200 mm pipeline. The meeting focused on accelerating the project and considering land acquisition for road realignment as a long-term solution.
As per the Chief Minister’s directive on January 9, a survey for land acquisition will be conducted, with a deadline set for June 30. Once the land is acquired and handed over to NHAI, the Paithan road will be expanded into a four-lane highway over the section where the pipeline is currently buried. Until then, barricades will be placed in areas where the pipeline runs beneath the road, and a two-lane road will be used for traffic instead of four lanes. In many places, the road is either above or below the pipeline, with height differences ranging from 2 to 5 meters.
For the past two months, city ministers, MLAs, three IAS officers, construction experts, and engineers from NHAI and MJP have been holding multiple meetings to discuss possible solutions. However, a final decision on the best course of action is yet to be made.
Decisions taken in Thursday's Meeting:
-Plan to bring 200 MLD of water through the new pipeline by the end of March.
-The contractor will complete the project within the specified time frame.
-Construction of 7 elevated storage reservoirs (ESRs) has been done, and 22 more will be completed by the end of March.
-NHAI, MJP, and PWD will survey the new road alignment.
Remaining of unanswered questions
-If the pipeline under the road bursts, how will repairs be carried out?
-What measures will be taken if vehicles run over the carriageway?
-Who is technically responsible for the pipeline-road conflict—MJP or NHAI?
-Out of 35 km, how many kilometres long pipeline is buried under the road?
-How many kilometres will require new land acquisition?
-When will the government release the Rs 822 crore required for the project?