Nashik civic body needs Rs700cr to improve city roads

Nashik: The Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) needs around Rs700 crore for the development of colony roads and those in the newly emerging areas of the city.Acting on the instructions of municipal commissioner Manisha Khatri, the civic body's Public Works Department (PWD) has started preparing a detailed blueprint for road development.This plan will be submitted to state govt along with the request for Rs700 crore. City engineer Sanjay Agrawal, while talking to TOI, said executive engineers, deputy engineers and junior engineers have been directed to prepare the blueprint at the earliest so that it can be forwarded to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and the state's urban development department for approval."The blueprint will include detailed information about colony roads in all 31 wards. In addition, new developing areas on the city fringes, where road development is urgently needed, will also be incorporated in the plan," Agrawal said.He added that at present it is difficult to specify the exact amount required for developing colony roads across the city, but the amount is expected to exceed Rs700 crore.According to the NMC officials, the city has around 2,400 km of roads, including about 1,600 km of tar roads. Of these, nearly 200 km are currently being developed using funds meant for Kumbh Mela.Out of the remaining 1,400 km, nearly 900 km have not been re-laid for the past seven to eight years, while several roads have not been resurfaced for over 10 to 12 years.As per norms, tar roads should ideally be re-laid every three years. However, many colony roads have deteriorated significantly due to inadequate repairs and maintenance over the years."Several stretches in the city's fringes and new developing zones still consist of macadam surfaces that now require asphalting. At least 200 km of such roads need to be upgraded, but the exact financial requirement will be known only after the blueprint is finalised. The assessment will also help determine priority areas and the extent of resurfacing work needed across the city," another civic official said.Recently, standing committee chairperson Machhindra Sanap met Fadnavis in Mumbai and urged him to allocate sufficient funds for developing non-Kumbh roads. The chief minister asked the standing committee to submit a detailed proposal in this regard. Following this, the PWD began preparing the comprehensive blueprint outlining the roads that require urgent development across the municipal limits.