No wayside amenities for 6 months after Samruddhi opens

Nagpur: Travellers are not likely to get breakfast, lunch, dinner, accommodation etc on Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg for at least six months after its inauguration as the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) is yet to develop wayside amenities.
Tender to appoint an operator for constructing and operating all wayside amenities on both sides of the Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway was floated on Saturday.
MSRDC had erected a huge pandal many days ago at Waifal for inauguration of the expressway from Nagpur to Shirdi, which means the stretch will be opened for traffic soon. Distance from Nagpur to Shirdi is around 520km which will take at least 4-5 hours.
Since the tender has been floated now, it is clear that there are no wayside amenities on the expressway, which is a completely new road without any connectivity to any town on this stretch.
As per MSRDC’s notice, last date for submission of tender is December 23. The operator will have to develop and run all wayside amenities which are expected to come up at every 40-60km. This is likely to take months.
Spread in 0.5-1 hectare land, many petrol pumps on phase-I are completed and while the remaining are in final stages.
MSRDC vice-chairman and managing director Radheshyam Mopalwar told TOI that washrooms and drinking water are available at petrol pumps. “Tender floated is for development of all wayside amenities from start to the end point,” he said.
MSRDC officials said they were exploring the possibilities to facilitate mobile kiosks at petrol pumps for providing packed drinking water, tea, coffee, snacks etc till the time wayside amenities are started.
Each amenity is likely to come up in sprawling four hectare land where right from all food outlets to motels etc will be developed. Operator will get the land on lease for a period of 30 years so as to recover cost of development, operation, maintenance and royalty to MSRDC.
Also, traffic management system on the expressway is likely to take 1-2 years. It will include restriction on exceeding approved speed limit of 120kmph. Mopalwar said, “Traffic management system and other innovative services require a lot of data and planning. We are in discussion with police and will come up with latest technology.”
TOI had reported that MSRDC is yet to plan plantation along the expressway and vegetation on wildlife overpass. Activists had demanded the inauguration be deferred till completion of all works mentioned in the project.