Maharashtra cabinet gives nod to Nagpur-Gondia controlled-access expressway

Mumbai, Aug 26 (PTI) The Maharashtra cabinet on Tuesday cleared the Nagpur-Gondia controlled-access expressway project, which will cut the travel time between the two cities from the present more than three hours to around 90 minutes.

The project will be executed by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) and the cabinet gave its nod for land acquisition at Rs 3,162 crore.

The 162.5 km stretch will benefit 115 villages across Nagpur, Bhandara and Gondia districts and boost connectivity between backward and tribal-dominated regions with Nagpur and Mumbai, the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said in a statement.

The cabinet, during its meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, also approved a streamlined mechanism to provide identity documents, caste certificates and easier access to welfare schemes for Denotified and Nomadic Tribes.

Camps will be organised in rural and urban areas to issue documents and extend benefits under schemes, including the Sanjay Gandhi Niradhar Yojana, Ladki Bahin Yojana, Skill Development Scheme, Mahatma Jyotirao Jan Ayogya Yojana, Ayushman Bharat, PM Kisan and other schemes.

Committees will be set up at the state, district and taluka levels for monitoring. Annual awards will recognise best-performing villages and municipalities, the CMO said.

Approval was granted to forward the draft Maharashtra Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Rules, 2025 to the Centre for concurrence, aligning with the national labour codes. The new rules include provisions for women's safety, housing for workers, healthcare, educational and recreational facilities for workers' families aimed at improving industrial safety and ease of doing business.

The cabinet approved a proposal for margin money loans worth Rs 402.9 crore for Rajgad Cooperative Sugar Factory in Pune district for modernisation, expansion, and new bio-energy projects.

Separately, Kedareswar Cooperative Sugar Factory in Ahilyanagar was permitted to raise Rs 39.88 crore as term loan from the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank with state guarantee.

Approval was given for sale of 99.27 acres of land belonging to Yashwant Cooperative Sugar Factory in Haveli taluka of Pune to the local Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC) for Rs 231.25 crore to set up a sub-market yard. The land use will be restricted for APMC purposes only, it said.

Three Kolhapur-type weirs at Nimgaon, Brahmanath Yelamb, Takalgaon-Hingani in Beed district will be converted into barrages at a total cost of about Rs 59 crore, expanding irrigation potential and improving flood control.

The cabinet also gave its approval to establish a Senior Division Civil Court at Ashti in Beed district with the sanction of 25 posts following the Bombay High Court recommendations.

It also cleared amendments to the Maharashtra Public Trusts Act, 1950, enhancing definitions, tightening registration norms and prescribing stricter punishments for violations, including imprisonment up to one year and fine up to Rs 2 lakh.

The cabinet extended the special amnesty scheme for leaseholders of Nazul lands in Nagpur and Amravati divisions for another year till July 31, 2026, allowing more beneficiaries to regularise land holdings. PTI MR NP