top of page

By:

Bhalchandra Chorghade

11 August 2025 at 7:24:18 pm

Shilphata road widening cleared

Mumbai: The long-pending widening and concretisation of the Kalyan-Shilphata Road has cleared a major hurdle, with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) taking a decision to provide compensation of around Rs 138 crore to landowners affected by the project. The decision is expected to pave the way for the resumption of stalled work on the crucial road, which connects Kalyan-Dombivli with Thane and Navi Mumbai and serves as an important link for daily commuters and...

Shilphata road widening cleared

Mumbai: The long-pending widening and concretisation of the Kalyan-Shilphata Road has cleared a major hurdle, with the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) taking a decision to provide compensation of around Rs 138 crore to landowners affected by the project. The decision is expected to pave the way for the resumption of stalled work on the crucial road, which connects Kalyan-Dombivli with Thane and Navi Mumbai and serves as an important link for daily commuters and commercial traffic. The widening project had been delayed for several years because of disputes over land acquisition and compensation. Several affected landowners had opposed the terms of compensation for land acquired for the project, resulting in work remaining incomplete at various stretches. The issue was taken up in the presence of Kalyan Lok Sabha MP Dr Shrikant Shinde. Following discussions, MSRDC Vice Chairman and Managing Director Anilkumar Gaikwad handed over letters regarding compensation to the affected landowners. The MSRDC has approved approximately Rs 138 crore as compensation for the land acquired for the road project. The decision is significant as the Kalyan-Shilphata Road is one of the region’s busiest arterial routes. Incomplete widening work and bottlenecks along the road have been contributing to severe traffic congestion, particularly around Kalyan, Dombivli, Ambernath and Badlapur, affecting motorists travelling towards Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai. Dr Shinde and local people’s representatives had been following up on the issue of compensation with the authorities. The latest decision is expected to facilitate the acquisition of the remaining land required for the project and enable MSRDC to accelerate the pending civil works. According to officials and local representatives, once the compensation-related issues are resolved, work on widening and concretisation can progress at a faster pace. Completion of the project is expected to significantly improve traffic movement along the corridor and reduce congestion at key junctions. The improved road will also provide better connectivity to the Mumbai Metropolitan Region and is expected to complement the upcoming Metro Line 12 and Metro Line 12A projects. The development of supporting infrastructure along the corridor is expected to further strengthen connectivity between Kalyan-Dombivli, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Mumbai. The project had faced opposition from farmers and landowners because of disagreements over compensation for land acquired for road construction. With the MSRDC now approving the compensation package, officials expect the principal obstacle to the project to be removed. Local residents and commuters have long demanded completion of the widening work, pointing out that unfinished stretches, narrow sections and bottlenecks have resulted in persistent traffic snarls. The latest decision is therefore being viewed as an important step towards completing the long-awaited Kalyan-Shilphata Road upgrade and easing pressure on the region’s road network.

Knives out in legislature

Updated: Mar 21, 2025

Disha Salian

Mumbai: Death of celebrity manager Disha Salian in 2020 once again rocked the Maharashtra legislature on Thursday. While cabinet ministers Nitesh Rane and Shambhuraj Desai demanded that Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray be arrested in the case, BJP MLA Amit Satam in the assembly and another BJP member Chitra Wagh in the council demanded that the report of SIT to probe Salian’s death be made public.


Incidentally, amidst repeated disruptions in both the houses, some members from the treasury benches were seen speaking in favour of Aditya Thackeray, while Shiv Sena (UBT) members like Adv Anil Parab were seen supporting the BJP members’ demand that the report of the SIT probe be made public. In addition, there were allegations and counter allegations and personal accusations among members from the treasury and opposition benches which led to heated debate on occasions.


The opposition termed the attempts from the treasury benches to link Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aditya Thackeray’s name in the case, as a ‘conspiracy’.


“I think this matter has gone to the court. We have no idea what he (Disha’s father) has said, but Aaditya Thackeray is a mature leader, a young leader. The Bharatiya Janata Party is conspiring to defame him by putting pressure on him. We don’t need to answer to this conspiracy. The court will answer,” Ambadas Danve said.


Earlier in the day, when the house gathered for the business, Minister of State for Home appraised the assembly of the status in this case. “SIT has been formed to probe in the case. Their report has not been received as yet. However, the government shall act according to directives from the court,” the minister told the house.


Another BJP minister Nitesh Rane, however, said that since Satish Salian has levelled allegations against an MVA minister, that leader be treated like a common person and that everybody should be treated equally before the law. Shiv Sena minister Shambhuraj Desai too supported the demand. “Since the allegations are grave, the person in question should be immediately arrested and the case be investigated,” he said.


Later, while speaking to media in the legislature premises, Rane asked Uddhav Thackeray to come clean on the issue. “If they say that we are politicizing the issue, Uddhav Thackeray should also tell the people why he had called, not just once but twice, to the then union minister Narayan Rane urging him to save his son?” Rane said.


He also accused the opposition of shying away from coming clean on the issue. “If they feel that we are not telling the truth, they should say so in the house. But they are shying away from doing so. Bhaskar Jadhav, who is always aggressive, was nowhere to be seen when this issue came up in the house. Sunil Prabhu too escaped the house under the pretext of a phone call. I challenge them to say that whatever I said on the issue is wrong,” Rane said.


He also said that Aditya Thackeray should resign on moral grounds till his name is cleared in the case.


BJP MLA Amit Satam demanded that the details of the SIT probe be made public so that the people would know if the probe is headed in right direction.


Interestingly, while the ruling parties were targeting the opposition in the case, senior BJP leader Sudhir Mungantiwar surprised all with his unexpected support to Thackerays. “I do not have any evidences in the case. But if her father has made any fresh allegations that needs to be investigated thoroughly. The assembly can discuss the issue at length tomorrow. In the meanwhile, members like Rane, who seem to have some evidences in the case should hand them over to the investigating agencies and help the probe,” he told the house.


Shiv Sena’s Sanjay Gaikwad and Sheetal Mhatre too toed the line and demanded that more and more evidences should come forth.


Similarly, when members of treasury benches were pushing for revealing the details of the probe till date to the public, Shiv Sena (UBT) member Anil Parab supported the demand. “Doing that shall conclusively prove the innocence of Aditya Thackeray,” he said.

Comments

bottom of page