The Nagpur Bench of the High Court has sought a detailed timeline from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for completing the forty-eight kilometre stretch of the Nagpur-Katol four-lane project. The project spans from kilometre thirteen to kilometre sixty-two and was sanctioned in September twenty twenty-one under an agreement with Agarwal Global Infratech Private Limited and Joint Stock Company Industry Association.

The delay has led to severe inconvenience for the public, prompting a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Dinesh Thakre, former chairman of APMC Katol, and others. Advocate Mahesh Dhatrak appeared for the petitioners, while Chief Government Pleader Deven Chauhan represented the state.

The court expressed dissatisfaction over the prolonged delay and directed the NHAI Project Director to provide a completion schedule. Earlier, the court had warned of criminal proceedings for negligence and asked the state to present accident records from Kalmeshwar and Katol tehsils.

The original work order was issued in March twenty twenty-one with an October twenty twenty-three deadline. However, the project remains incomplete after nearly five years, drawing criticism from the judiciary.

The court also highlighted the lack of compliance with earlier directives regarding safety signage and reflective boards and stressed that basic commuter safety must not be ignored.

Source:Nagpur Today