In a boost for pilgrimage to the town of Pandharpur in Maharashtra, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday will virtually lay the foundation stone for widening five sections of National Highway (NH) 965 and three sections of NH 965G to four lanes.
NH 965 is popularly known as Shri Sant Dnyaneshawar Maharaj Palkhi Marg, while NH 965G is also called Shri Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg.
The measure will help ease the movement of devotees to and from Pandharpur, thanks to “dedicated walkways”.
According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, “Dedicated walkways for ‘palkhi’ will be constructed on either side of the national highways, providing hassle-free and safe passage to devotees.”
Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari will attend the event. His office tweeted, “Respected Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi will inaugurate road projects worth ₹1,186 crore and length of 223km to improve and facilitate connectivity of Pandharpur, the holy region of Maharashtra, on Monday, November 8.
Maharashtra chief minister of Uddhav Thackeray will also be present on the occasion.
About 221km of the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj Palkhi Marg from Diveghat to Mohol and about 130Km of Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi Marg from Patas to Tondale-Bondale will be widened to four lanes at estimated costs of about ₹6,690 crore and ₹4,400 crore, respectively.
Also, during the event, PM Narendra Modi is expected to “dedicate to the nation” more than 223km of completed and upgraded road projects that have been constructed with an estimate cost of over ₹1,180 crore along various national highways with the aim of improving connectivity to Pandharpur.
The projects include construction that is already completed on Mhaswad-Piliv-Pandharpur (NH 548E), Kurduwadi-Pandharpur (NH 965C), Pandharpur-Sangola (NH 965C), the Tembhurni-Pandharpur section of NH 561A, and the Pandharpur-Mangalwedha-Umadi section of NH 561A.