Mumbai, July 23 (PTI) Each revenue division in Maharashtra will be connected to neighbouring states through highways, which will boost transport, tourism and local development, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Wednesday.

He directed officials to prepare a roadmap for implementing the "Maharashtra Inter-State Road Connectivity Scheme".

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"A mega masterplan should be prepared to ensure that every revenue division is directly linked to adjoining states through new highways of about 150 to 200 kilometres in length," Bawankule told a high-level meeting attended by PWD Minister Shivrendra Raje Bhosale, Additional Chief Secretary Manisha Mhaiskar and senior officials.

The minister emphasised that the proposed roads must cater to key areas from the perspective of transport, tourism, and regional growth.

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"These highways will not only enhance connectivity for one district but will serve to connect entire divisions directly to neighbouring states," he added.

To streamline the construction process, Bawankule instructed that charges for minor minerals used during road construction be directly deducted from contractor bills, based on certified and annually verified mineral rates.

Additionally, the use of minor minerals from reservoirs and water sources should be proposed and facilitated as per norms, he said.

During the meeting, the Public Works Department requested that the land ownership (7/12 extract) for the roads be transferred in its name.

In response, Bawankule announced the formation of a three-member committee comprising the Sub-Divisional Registration Officer, Executive Engineer, and Resident Deputy Collector to expedite the land transfer process.

Plans to promote tourism under the 'Parvatmala' Scheme were also discussed, including the proposal to develop a ropeway project in Koradi near Nagpur.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)