“With the construction of 145 Railway overbridges (RoBs) over the next three years, we aim to create a Railway gate-free Maharashtra,” announced Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday, while inaugurating nine major infrastructure projects worth Rs 484 crore developed by Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MRIDC).

 

The projects include a four-lane Railway Overbridge (RoB) at Wardhaman Nagar, a two-lane Railway Underbridge (RuB) connecting Shanti Nagar and Dipti Signal Square, three Railway Overbridges, four subways and one Road Underbridge across Nagpur, Amravati, Satara, Nashik, Sangli and Chandrapur districts. Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways, presided over the programme. Chandrashekhar Bawankule, State Revenue Minister; Advocate Ashish Jaiswal, Minister of State; Krishna Khopde, Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), Nagpur (East); Chanransingh Thakur, MLA, Katol; Mayor Neeta Thakre; Sivani Dani-Wakhare, Chairperson, Standing Committee; Narendra Borkar, Leader of Ruling Party in NMC; Dayashankar Tiwari, City President, BJP, and other dignitaries were present. CM Fadnavis, in his address, stated that Railway level crossings continue to pose a major safety risk and claimed that around 21,000 people lose their lives every year due to accidents at Railway crossings.

 

He said the State has approved construction of 145 Railway bridges, including 65 RoBS at level crossings and around 80 other flyovers, to eliminate Railway gates and improve road safety. The Chief Minister praised MRIDC for completing technically challenging bridge projects in the city and Mumbai with innovative technology, faster execution and lower costs. He said the Corporation has even secured patents for some of its construction technologies. He also noted that the rapid expansion of roads and other infrastructure over the past decade has transformed Nagpur into a modern city, attracting industries, world-class educational institutions and employment opportunities. Fadnavis also announced that the RoB connecting Bhagwan Shambhunath Chowk and Dipti Signal would be named after former Deputy Mayor late Bahrinbai Sonboir. In his address, Gadkari described East Nagpur as a fast-emerging development hub owing to major infrastructure projects, educational institutions and sustained public representation.

 

He said the newly inaugurated RoB and RuB would significantly ease traffic movement and improve connectivity for residents. The Union Minister also announced a Rs 40 crore grant from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) towards proposed mega sports complex at Pardi, part of a larger Rs 150 crore project that will also include a modern vegetable market. He added that several other infrastructure projects in Nagpur are nearing completion and would be inaugurated in the coming months. Krishna Khopde highlighted development works undertaken in East Nagpur and requested approval for two additional flyovers in the constituency. Rajesh Kumar Jaiswal, Managing Director, MRIDC, outlined the projects completed across the State, while Jitendra Sharma, General Manager (Planning), proposed a vote of thanks.