Mumbai, May 2 (Midday News): The central government has set its sights far and wide. It plans to expand the network of highways from 96,000 km to 2 lakh km by the end of this year.

Nitin Gadkari, Union minister for road transport and highways, who visited the mid-day office last afternoon, said the work on expanding the road network in Maharashtra and the rest of the country is underway. "Our main focus is development of highways and construction of expressways as these will not only help save fuel but also time."

Gadkari said his ministry has begun construction of 13 expressways in the country. These roads are being made of best quality material and will sport the latest technology, he asserted.

Stress on inland transport
Emphasising on the need for more inland water transport services, he said, "Mumbaikars will soon be able to travel in passenger ferries as work on the [Ferry Wharf (Mumbai)-Mandwa (Alibaug)] RoRo (roll-on, roll-off) water service is in progress. Once the project is launched [in 2018], people will be able to travel from Ferry Wharf to Nerul in Navi Mumbai in 13 minutes, and those travelling to Mandwa will get to their destination in 17 minutes. This service will not only save time and fuel but will also be environment- friendly."

RoRo ferries will be able to take 150 vehicles and 40 buses.

New projects on the cards
Gadkari said his ministry has given permission to build 24 ports in the state.

He said a project is in the pipeline for construction of the highest building in the world on Mumbai Port Trust land. "The plan has been prepared and we have sent it to the cabinet for approval."

With this plan, the government plans to beat the record set by Dubai's Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world with 163 floors. The Mumbai tower is expected to have a green boulevard, which would be bigger than Marine Drive, and will have marinas, museums, hotels, a convention centre, corporate offices, and commercial and retail business units.

Expressway to Vadodara
The ministry is also planning a Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway project that will cut down travel between the two cities from 6-7 hours to three hours.

Gadkari attempted to change the perception of the accident-prone Mumbai-Pune Expressway, saying most of the accidents caused on the stretch are owing to human error. Across the county, the ministry has identified 786 'black spots' whose improvement could cut down accidents, he said.

Recalling his stint with the Shiv Sena-BJP government at the state in 1996 as the public works minister, he said he addressed 2,500 such black spots.

He said key national highways and expressways will soon have helipads to allow accident victims to be rushed to hospitals.

Referring to last year's Mahad bridge collapse, Gadkari said dangerous and old bridges have been identified, and their repairs are underway.

52 Lakh The country's road network (in km)

96k Length of national highways (in km)