Nagpur: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has informed the Nagpur Bench of the Bombay High Court that the 20-kilometre stretch of the Katol-Nagpur road will be completed by March 2028. However, the High Court expressed dissatisfaction over the extended timeline and scheduled the next hearing for July 2.
NHAI attributed the delay to pending forest clearances and the presence of wildlife corridors along the proposed route. The agency claimed that the Forest Department has not yet granted permission for tree cutting, which has slowed down progress.
Earlier, the court had directed NHAI to complete specific sections—Katol Naka to Fetri Road and Kalmeshwar to Katol Road—by April 30. When the authority failed to meet this deadline, the High Court imposed a fine of ₹1 lakh on the Project Director and extended the deadline to June 30. Despite these directives, the work remains incomplete.
The court also took up the issue of the RTO flyover during the recent hearing. A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) had been filed by advocates Arun Patil, Dinesh Thakre, and others, urging prompt completion of the project due to the deteriorating condition of the road. Advocates Firdos Mirza, Mahesh Dhatrak, Deepak Thakre, and Anish Kathane appeared on behalf of the concerned parties.
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