Mumbai, May 14 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis-led Cabinet Committee on Infrastructure on Thursday granted administrative approval for four access-controlled expressway projects in Vidarbha, totalling 547 km, to connect Maharashtra’s eastern and western borders through high-speed corridors.
He instructed officials to ensure swift progress and timely completion of the projects.
These projects are the Nagpur–Gondia Expressway, Bhandara–Gadchiroli Expressway, Nagpur–Chandrapur Expressway, and the Navegaon More–Konsari to Surjagarh Greenfield Road.
CM Fadnavis said he has directed officials to accelerate the next steps for these projects, which serve as an important link between the eastern and western regions of Maharashtra and represent a significant step in Vidarbha’s development.
He instructed that the Navegaon More-Surjagarh route, crucial for mineral transport, must be connected to the Samruddhi Mahamarg.
Additionally, he directed officials to study a proposed tunnel road connecting western Maharashtra to the Konkan region and prepare a detailed presentation on the project.
“By prioritising seamless infrastructure, the state is advancing towards a future defined by integrated, high-speed and inclusive development,” he added.
In a related development, CM Fadnavis presided over the signing and exchange of an agreement between the Government of Maharashtra (City and Industrial Development Corporation) and Africa India Economic Foundation to enable the formation of a special purpose vehicle for the development of the Africa India International Development Zone at Kharghar, Navi Mumbai.
Key infrastructure and facilities include the AIBC Tower to house offices for 54 African nations and Indian stakeholders, convention and conference facilities, exhibition halls, cultural and heritage centres, incubation and research centres, Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and entrepreneurship development facilities for Africa–India trade, hospitality infrastructure, and allied infrastructure and amenities.
Meanwhile, CM Fadnavis also presided over the signing and exchange of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Government of Maharashtra (Industries Department) and AM Intelligence Labs Pvt Ltd for the development of a 500 MW Integrated Green Data Centre Park and Artificial Intelligence Compute Hub in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region.
The Chief Minister’s Office said the proposed investment will be Rs 1,14,000 crore and generate 800 jobs.
The project will be powered entirely by renewable energy and will facilitate large-scale Artificial Intelligence model training, data processing and the provision of cloud-based Artificial Intelligence services.
Further, the project will boost investment, employment, technological development and the green energy sector in the state.
Furthermore, it will play a vital role in developing Maharashtra as the capital of Artificial Intelligence and India’s digital infrastructure.
–IANS
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