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Chief Minister Eknath Shinde shared with reporters in Satara that in anticipation of the Ganesh festival, a single lane on the Mumbai-Goa highway will be made suitable for motorised traffic.The highway has been plagued by incompleteness and unevenness across various sections, resulting in criticism from commuters. Every year, a significant number of individuals from the Konkan region, who commute to Mumbai for work, return to their hometowns to celebrate Ganeshotsav. The proposed repair and smoothing of one lane prior to the festive period will offer some respite to those utilising this particular stretch.Shinde mentioned, Our Minister of Public Works, Ravindra Chavan, is presently inspecting to ensure the commencement of the project, despite the fact that the highway falls under the jurisdiction of the National Highway Authority of India. All necessary preparations have been finalised, and it is our goal to make one lane of the highway operational before the Ganesh festival.Additionally, Shinde likened the future connectivity between Mumbai and Sindhudurg to that of the Pune-Mumbai expressway, emphasising a greenfield access-controlled highway. He clarified, The comprehensive project report is currently in progress for this initiative.Regarding infrastructure development, Shinde noted that work is underway on a bridge that will link the Konkan region with Satara. Furthermore, plans for two additional bridges in Tapola and Bamnoli are in the proposal stage. The focus also extends to projects centred around tourism, designed to stimulate local employment opportunities like cluster farming and the production of herbal medicines (van aushadhi).In terms of governance, Shinde assured that a cabinet expansion is in the pipeline, with 18 cabinet positions currently vacant.