File Photo of Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari New Delhi: Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Wednesday said he was “ashamed” of the delays in the expansion of the Mumbai-Goa Highway and would not attend its inauguration when the long-delayed project is finally completed. Gadkari made the remarks at an event to inaugurate a six-lane flyover in Porvorim, which will bypass a congested stretch north of Panaji. “The Mumbai-Goa Highway has been hopelessly delayed, and the contractors have failed. From my point of view, what has happened is very unfortunate. My department has as many as seven world records, but now I wish my department will have the record for blacklisting and debarring the single largest number of contractors and suspension of officials in a single year,” Gadkari said. “Now I’ve given up waiting for an auspicious time (to have it inaugurated). I’ve decided that I will not go for the inauguration of the Mumbai-Goa highway because I’m ashamed at the delays,” he said. Gadkari, however, said the project could be completed soon. “Yesterday I had a meeting and was told the highway was 93-94% complete… and in October, I’ll get off at the Mumbai airport and come to Goa by car to see the status of the completion,” he said. The project to convert the old two-lane Mumbai-Goa Highway into a four-lane road was launched in 2011. It was aimed at reducing travel time between Mumbai and Goa from nearly 12 hours to six hours. However, work on several important stretches has remained stalled for a long time, while images of damage on some sections have also raised concerns about construction quality on social media. The 555-km highway is planned to connect Mumbai with Goa, with 460 km running through Maharashtra up to Patradevi in Sindhudurg district. Of the Maharashtra stretch, 84 km is being constructed by the National Highways Authority of India, while the remaining 376 km is being handled by the state Public Works Department. The widening project was initially scheduled to be completed in 2016 but has missed several deadlines. Gadkari has repeatedly expressed his frustration over the delays. The elevated corridor inaugurated by Gadkari on Wednesday runs through Porvorim, north of the state capital. The project had been on the drawing board for more than seven years, while construction began in January 2024. The flyover, built at an estimated cost of Rs 364.68 crore by RRSM Infra Private Limited, is expected to ease traffic and reduce bottlenecks on routes connecting Panaji with popular beaches such as Calangute and Anjuna, as well as the newly constructed Mopa Airport. The new flyover will provide a key link between Panaji and Mopa Airport and will form part of the Mumbai-Goa Highway as well as the larger Mumbai-Kanyakumari Highway. Anurag Kumar is an Assistant Editor at Times Now, where he leads the News Desk and Business Desk, driving coverage across politics, economy and market... View More