The Maharashtra government has announced that it has completed 100 per cent land acquisition for the 701-km-long Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway, Mumbai Mirror reported.

Work on the expressway is already underway at 16 sites. Rs 46,000-crore construction works of Samruddi expressway is divided into 16 packages and work started in January this year. Work is on in full swing on all packages. The Nagpur-Nashik stretch is expected to be completed 30 months (mid-2021), while the Nashik-Thane stretch that involves construction of huge tunnels will take six months more.

As part of the land acquisition efforts, the government has released Rs 6,000 crores to compensate over 23,500 people who have affected by the project. 8,311 hectares of land has been acquired for the project.

Mumbai Mirror quoted Public Works Department Principal Secretary Manoj Saunik to confirm the completion of Land acquisition for the project. “The government has distributed compensation of Rs 6,000 crore. The process went smoothly and the work has now started in various parts," Saunik said. The government has obtained environmental and forest clearances and wildlife permissions to build the expressway.