COMMENTARY
INTERVIEW
SPECIALS
CHAT
ARCHIVES

Centre clears Bombay-Pune expressway

Maharashtra Chief Minister Manohar Joshi on Tuesday announced the approval of the Union environment ministry for the construction of the 84 km stretch of the Bombay-Pune express highway at an estimated cost of Rs 15 billion, which, he hoped, would be complete within two and a half years time.

Joshi said a letter in this regard was received on Tuesday, granting permission to construct the highway between Kon and Aroshi, both in Raigarh district near Bombay, and Lonavala to Dehu Road in Pune district, he said.

The present road between Aroshi and Lonavala will be widened, he said, and promised to hold the inauguration ceremony soon.

Meanwhile, a delegation of the Wild Life Institute, Dehra Dun, which had visited Bhorghat through which the expressway will pass, has expressed concern over the endangered species like the giant squirrel and mouse deer which are likely to become extinct due to the construction of the expressway.