To make the crucial road transport route floodproof, the Maharashtra government plans to ask the National Highway Authority of India to build flyovers on the Mumbai-Bengaluru highway.
Recent floods around the Kolhapur district has led to an unprecedented closure of the crucial highway for almost four days.
On his tour to assess the flood situation in the district, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar said he would speak to Union minister Nitin Gadkari about the possibility of building flyovers on the highway stretch passing through Kolhapur for uninterrupted vehicular movement during flooding, reports Hindustan Times.
“I will talk to Gadkari saheb. The national highway should always be open for vehicular traffic. I will talk to Gadkari saheb about the possibility of building flyovers at different stretches in the district so that vehicular traffic on the (Mumbai) Pune-Bengaluru highway is not interrupted in case of flooding,” Ajit Pawar said.
The Mumbai-Bengaluru highway was inundated on Friday (23 July) after the Panchaganga river swelled, following heavy rain in the area.
According to locals, this is the first time the highway has been shut for three days in a row.
At least 2,000 trucks and 1,000 private vehicles were stranded on both sides of the road: from Satara to Kolhapur and from Belgavi to Kolhapur.