Mumbai, June 8 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday chaired a meeting of the Maharashtra Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (MahaRail), which approved 65 projects in the first phase out of a total of 131 proposed works.

The Chief Minister also directed that the necessary infrastructure be developed to make Maharashtra free of railway level crossings.

Detailed discussions were held on the construction of railway overbridges, foot overbridges and road underpasses on roads under the jurisdiction of the Public Works and Urban Development departments, which will be executed by MahaRail.

CM Fadnavis said there should not be a single railway level crossing remaining on any railway route across Maharashtra.

Infrastructure should be developed to achieve a level-crossing-free Maharashtra, he said.

“Considering the rapid urbanisation around railway corridors in metropolitan areas, infrastructure projects facilitating easy movement of citizens should be undertaken wherever required. Among the 65 approved projects, priority should be given to those involving roads with Train Vehicle Unit (TVU) traffic ranging from 25,000 to 100,000 and requiring minimal land acquisition,” he said.

In view of increasing urbanisation, 80 railway infrastructure projects have been planned in various cities.

Committees comprising the concerned Municipal Commissioners and District Collectors should be constituted for these projects.

The committees will verify the necessity and feasibility of the proposed works, after which MahaRail will undertake them.

The Chief Minister expressed confidence that completion of these projects would provide citizens with essential infrastructure even before demand peaks.

The Chief Minister further noted that the flyover constructed in Nagpur city could face traffic congestion at intersections in future because of rising vehicular volumes.

Appropriate measures should therefore be taken to prevent congestion at such locations, he said.

He also directed that a new railway overbridge be constructed on the Amravati-Badnera route where an old railway overbridge currently exists.

MahaRail should implement the projects in phases based on priority, he added.

For financing these infrastructure projects, loans should be obtained from HUDCO.

The Chief Minister suggested that HUDCO explore alternative financing arrangements instead of relying solely on bank borrowings, assess market competition and reduce the interest burden on loans provided to the state government.

He also directed that the process of bringing MahaRail under the administrative control of the Public Works Department be expedited.

Payments for works completed by MahaRail should be released promptly by the state government, he added.

–IANS

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