The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, has approved the ambitious 802-kilometre Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Expressway Project with an outlay of ₹20,787 crore. Designed as a high-speed corridor, the expressway will link Pavnar in Wardha district to Patradevi on the Maharashtra–Goa border in Sindhudurg, slashing current travel time between Nagpur and Goa from 18 hours to just eight.
In emphasizing inclusive implementation, Fadnavis directed officials to engage with local farmers wherever land-acquisition concerns arise. “Wherever there is opposition to the project for fear of land acquisition, talks should be held with the local farmers,” he said, highlighting the administration’s commitment to dialogue.
The new route will traverse twelve districts—Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Sindhudurg—and link key pilgrimage and spiritual sites such as Mahur, Tuljapur, Kolhapur, Pandharpur, Ambajogai, Aundha Nagnath, Parli Vaijnath, Karanja-Lad, Akkalkot, Audumber, and Narsobachi Wadi. By connecting all the state’s Shaktipeeths, the expressway is expected to bolster tourism and spur rural development along its length.
Execution will be overseen by the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), while the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO) has sanctioned a ₹12,000 crore loan to facilitate acquisition of nearly 7,500 hectares of land. With groundwork slated to begin later this year, the corridor promises to transform regional connectivity and economic growth across Maharashtra.
