Mumbai: The long-delayed Pune-Satara Highway project, initiated in 2010, remains unfinished, leading to severe traffic congestion and hazardous pothole-ridden stretches.

The Mumbai High Court, led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, has sharply criticized the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and mandated the immediate completion of the highway.

The Pune-Satara highway project is under the jurisdiction of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The work was assigned to Reliance Infrastructure in 2010 under the BOT model.

The incomplete highway, which serves as a critical route connecting Pune to Bangalore via Kolhapur and also provides access to the Konkan region, has caused significant inconvenience to drivers. The issue was brought to the court’s attention through a petition filed by Kishore Mansukhani, represented by Advocate Yatin Malvankar.

During the hearing, Chief Justice Upadhyay and Justice Amit Borkar expressed their discontent with the NHAI’s handling of the project. They demanded a thorough inspection and a detailed affidavit from the NHAI's project director within two weeks, outlining the completion timeline for the highway and its bridge. The next hearing is scheduled for August 7th.

Despite six extensions over the past decade, the project remains incomplete. As of now, 137.71 km out of the total 140.35 km have been completed.

The remaining 2.64 km is delayed due to various issues. The majority of the work was completed by April 30, 2022, and as of September 2023, the company has collected ₹3114.02 crore in toll fees.

Toll collection is carried out as per the NHAI's notifications dated December 5, 2008, and August 26, 2010. Originally, the six-lane project was estimated to cost ₹1724.55 crore with a concession period of 24 years, starting from October 2010."