PWD to acquire land for Kolhapur four-laning project.

State public works department (PWD) minister Chandrakant Patil said that the PWD will now bear the cost of land acquisition over the 11-km long stretch from Jaisinghpur to Sangli.

The PWD will pay Rs. 30 crore for the same. This will accelerate the Sangli-Kolhapur four-lane project. With the new development, the project will take a year for completion. The earlier deadline to complete the road construction was October 2014.

Patil said, 'The road-widening project has already been delayed due to the previous government's faulty policies. The project costs were rising, so the state decided to support the ongoing road construction and widening work by bearing some cost of land acquisition. The PWD will make a payment of Rs. 30 crore to land owners between the Sangli to Jaisinghpur stretch.'

The three major locations — Sangli, Ankali and Tamdalge on the Sangli-Jaisinghpur stretch are crucial to the project. The state has decided to bear the land acquisition cost to speed up the work. The total project cost now stands at Rs 270 crore as against the earlier Rs 196 crore for the earlier deadline of October 2014. The previous government could not complete the land acquisition work and necessary clearances and so the project was further delayed.

Of the total amount, the PWD will provide Rs 30 crore. A PWD official said, 'If the construction company bears the total project cost, then it will either increase toll charges or the toll collection period. To avoid this, the department decided to bear the cost of land acquisition.'

TOI