Wary after Lok Sabha defeat, BJP-Sena govt stalls Nagpur-Goa highway project

The project was first announced in September 2022. The bids for appointing a consultant for the feasibility study was floated in October 2022 and the bid was awarded in early 2023. The Budget for 2023-24 approved funding for the project.

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), which was asked to execute the project, had conducted a feasibility study and issued a notification of section 15(2) regarding land acquisition for the expressway.

The e-way proposes to connect Pavnar in Wardha district in Nagpur division to Patradevi in Sindhudurg district. The road will pass through 11 districts — Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Latur, Beed, Dharashiv, Solapur, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg.

In February 2024, the state government gave a green signal for the project, which was seen as connecting all important Hindu religious pilgrim centres in these 11 districts, and hence named it Shaktipeeth e-way.

Of the 8,419 hectares required for the project, around 8,100 is private agriculture land. There have been continuous protests from farmers, and leaders across the political spectrum, including those from the ruling coalition, have supported the farmers.

In the recent Lok Sabha election, the ruling coalition lost in 10 out of 11 districts through which the road will be passing. The results also seem to have put the ruling alliance on a defensive mode given that Assembly polls are just four away.

The opposition to the project was a key issue in Kolhapur, which has the maximum area of irrigated land. During the campaign, farmer leader and candidate from Hatkanangale Raju Shetti had warned the state government to not go ahead with land acquisition. After the poll results, the newly-elected MP from Kolhapur and the candidates from the losing side also joined the chorus against the project.

On Tuesday, hundreds of farmers in Kolhapur hit the street opposing the project. Last week, ruling Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Mandlik visited Chief Minister Ekanth Shinde and handed him the memorandum against the project.

“This road will lead to a lot of loss of land for farmers. Instead they can create smaller bypass roads to connect the pilgrim centres,” said Mandlik, who lost to Congress’ Shahu Maharaj Chhatrapati from Kolhapur seat in the LS election.

“The road was planned without anyone demanding it. It will destroy the farm lands and jeopardise the interests of farmers,” Shahu Maharaj had said. Medical Education Minister and NCP leader Hasan Mushrif too cited the Shaktipeeth Expressway as one of the reasons behind the defeat of the ruling alliance.

BJP Rajya Sabha MP from Nanded Ashok Chavan, too, wrote to Shinde conveying the opposition of farmers from his district. “Not just in Nanded, but farmers are protesting it in every district. I have spoken to Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Minister Dada Bhuse about it. They have agreed to stop the work until further notice,” Chavan said.

Kailas Jadhav, Joint MD, MSRDC, however, said the agency has received no written report from the collector about protests nor anything about stopping the process of land acquisition. “We cannot comment unless we get anything in writing. We haven’t received anything yet,” he told The Indian Express.