Touted as the fastest access-controlled expressway that upon completion can reduce the travel time between Nagpur and Mumbai to just eight hours (from 17-18 hours by road now), the authorities have claimed. But there lies a concern which was vivid on the test drive day and may become a cause of great headache for the highway authorities, who have not informed much about the medical facilities along the road, if needed in emergencies. The discussions and reports in the media dealt primarily with the highest speed one can attain on the road, though there is a cap of 120 km per hour for speeding.

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A media person was seen reporting live without wearing a seat belt. He bragged about speeding as he narrated his exciting experience, without realising the irresponsible act. It seemed it was all about accelerating. However, the CM and Fadnavis, who drove his boss, ensured that they wore seat belts. With a series of accidents on the state’s first expressway between Mumbai and Pune and highways—some are still fresh in our memories—the authorities manning the new expressway that promises the thrills of zooming will have a tough task at hand.

The road project has political significance. Named after the Shiv Sena founder Balasaheb Thackeray by the Uddhav Thackeray government that worked from November 2019 to June 2022, before Shinde broke away from the party, gives an unlikely advantage to the current CM. Many in the BJP say that the expressway could have been named after a BJP stalwart if the BJP hadn’t faced the MVA hurdle.

Shinde, who has been involved in the project since the beginning as the minister in-charge of the promoting agency, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation, but did not actually control the planning when Fadnavis was the CM and even when Uddhav Thackeray headed the government. He will share the credit, though he said on Sunday that it was Fadnavis’s dream project that has come to fruition when the former CM is part of the coalition government. For Fadnavis, it has been a roller coaster ride, right from the stage of land acquisition to raising funds for it and ensuring a timely start to the work. The project will be one of the planks when the BJP-Shinde Sena combine goes to polls.

Heat up on Raj Bhavan

The opposition to Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari has intensified over his remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj. While the parties in the opposition have slowed down a little bit but will definitely rake it up in the winter session of the legislature later this month, BJP Rajya Sabha MP Udayanraje Bhosale has become aggressive in his demand for replacing Koshyari. The Shinde Sena too is unhappy. Unconfirmed reports say that the state government has sent its opinion to the Centre on the issue. Sources said Koshyari had asked for relieving him on health grounds during the MVA regime. Now it is to be seen how and when the Centre acts.

Dharmendra Jore is political editor, mid-day. He tweets @dharmendrajore
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