Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Monday said he was criticised on social media after problems emerged on a road project executed by the Maharashtra government, despite the project not being under his ministry's direct construction responsibility. Speaking at the Festival of Thinkers lecture series in Pune, Gadkari said his work on major infrastructure projects often receives little attention when roads perform well, while failures or disruptions can quickly attract criticism. He specifically referred to the Mumbai-Pune Expressway and the controversy surrounding the Missing Link project.
Gadkari said he built the Mumbai-Pune Expressway 27 years ago and claimed that it has remained in excellent condition, with not a single pothole appearing on the road. He expressed disappointment that such positive performance does not receive comparable public attention. Gadkari also said that even when a road belonging to a state government develops problems, criticism is directed at him on social media. He used the example to highlight what he described as the uneven nature of public scrutiny surrounding infrastructure projects.
Referring to the Missing Link project, Gadkari said the project could not be constructed during his tenure because the Forest Department had not granted the required permission. According to him, the Maharashtra government subsequently constructed the road, but he was targeted online when problems emerged. The Missing Link is a 13-kilometre bypass through the Sahyadri mountains and includes two twin tunnels and a cable-stayed bridge. It was designed to bypass the winding Lonavala-Khandala ghat section and reduce the travel distance and journey time between Mumbai and Pune.
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The project faced a major setback after a landslide triggered by heavy monsoon rainfall blocked the Pune-to-Mumbai carriageway, resulting in the closure of the route and diversion of traffic. The disruption occurred around nine weeks after the Rs 6,695-crore project was inaugurated and led to criticism from Opposition parties over the quality of construction. Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, however, rejected criticism that the incident alone should determine the assessment of the project and said additional safety measures recommended by experts would be implemented.
Gadkari also described social media as a potential quality-control mechanism because it can quickly highlight problems with infrastructure. He said immediate reporting of shortcomings can help authorities identify where things have gone wrong and respond to them. The minister further stressed the wider economic importance of infrastructure, arguing that roads, bridges and tunnels are not merely construction projects but are directly connected with economic growth. He cited a statement attributed to former US President John F Kennedy to underline the relationship between good roads and economic development.
Gadkari said infrastructure quality requires more than temporary repairs or "patchwork" solutions and called for a broader focus on durable roads and connectivity. His comments came amid renewed attention on the Missing Link project following the landslide and subsequent traffic disruption. While the incident has prompted questions about the project's resilience during the monsoon, authorities have indicated that additional safety measures will be considered. Gadkari's remarks also underscored his view that infrastructure performance should be assessed through both its long-term record and the response to individual failures.
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