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• The widening of the Mumbai-Agra national highway (NH3) in the city has struck hit a road block with the work being stalled at Pathardi Phata. For the past four months the work of widening of the highway towards Mumbai from Pathardi Phata has been stopped following the continuous flow of industrial effluents from the industrial area of Satpur.Consequently, the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has not been able to carry out the work of constructing the ramp wall for the flyover at Pathardi Phata and take the road widening work further.

• Sources from Larsen&Toubro (L&T), the company that is which is widening the highway on the stretch from between Gonde to Pimpalgaon, informed that the work had has now completely stopped. It is technically Technically it is impossible to construct the ramp wall for the Pathardi Phata flyover, they said, as just a little further from Hotel Taj to nearly 200 meters ahead, there is a continuous flow of industrial waste water, about 200 meters from Hotel Taj, sources said. They source added that L&T has We have been following up on the issue with the Maharashtra Industrial Development Corporation (MIDC), but in vain.

• On being asked if there was a solution to the problem, the source can be a solution to this, sources from L&T said that currently things were not in their control. and in caseIf they did try tried to block the flow of the waste water by pouring concrete on it, the same, it could turn out to be a health hazard.Sources said that before the road widening work, the waste water was percolating into the ground, only affecting the ground water. But a pond has been had formed ever since the area had been was has been dug for the road- wideningpurpose

• However, President of Ambad Industries and Manufacturers'Association (AIMA) Dnyaneshwar Gopale said that there was a sewage line laid by the industries. However, during the process of creating lanes for the highway six laning of the highway, the pipeline got had apparently broken because of which and the water was now is spilling out coming on to the road. Gopale said that this line had been was laid by industrialists through their personal contribution. "In case there is an issue, NHAI can anytime approach us. Asolution can be sought through a meeting," he said. Meanwhile, NHAI has written a letter to MIDC saying that it cannot take up the work on the Mumbai-side approach-work because of the waste water problemon the highway, forming a pool of water on the highway side

• The NHAI, further has also cautioned that if necessary action was is not taken, in that case, the flow could can be closed down by pouring concrete, which would may only result in a filthy atmosphere for the surrounding areas.Since October 2010, the work of widening the highway between Gonde to Pimpalgaon (which is 60 km) had has got underway in October 2010. The work had been slated was originally for supposed to begin in

• January 2010, but it actually started 10 months later due to objections raised by NGO's over the "hacking" of trees to widen the road. The NHAI was supposed to have completed the work by June 2012, however, according to the revised deadline, the work is now expected to be complete by 2012.By this time NHAI also has to get a land of approximately k10m by 10m to erect a tower for a power line near Pathardi Junction within the same timeline. SimilarlyAt Lekhanagar too, there is a demand that the power lines across the flyover be laid underground.

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