Bringing heft to Modi's govt, Nitin Gadkari's challenges are manifold

Recognising his capacity to crack the whip, PM Modi has invited him back in the government

Twenty years ago, as PWD minister in Maharashtra, Nitin Jairam Gadkari proposed a 95-km road between Mumbai and Pune. A global tender was floated, which was won by the Reliance group under Dhirubhai Ambani. 

But Gadkari thought the expressway could be made at a lower cost. He started the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) with a grant of Rs 10 crore from the state government. He raised another Rs 4,000 crore from the market through bonds and used the money to build the expressway for Rs 1,600 crore.
 

The money was also used to build 55 flyovers across Mumbai in