Penal action suggested for obstructers of farm, village access roads

Bawankule said, “The committee will conduct three meetings and present a final report to the cabinet by September end. The responsibility of making this plan successful lies significantly with the MLAs.”

The committee members suggested imposing penalties on those obstructing construction of roads to ensure effective implementation.
The first meeting of the committee, formed to devise a comprehensive plan to strengthen farm and village access roads, was held on Wednesday at Mantralaya under Bawankule’s chairmanship.

Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore, Employment Guarantee and Horticulture Minister Bharat Gogawale, Minister of State for Finance and Planning Ashish Jaiswal, along with committee member MLAs and senior officials from various departments, were present at the meeting.

Usually, despite 90% of farmers agreeing, roads are not constructed due to opposition from just 10% of individuals. MLA Abhimanyu Pawar demanded that penal action be taken against such obstructers, with the cost of road construction recovered from them and, if necessary, action under Section 353. Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore also emphasised the need for legal provisions to address those obstructing roads.

Given that funding had been a major issue for this plan, MLA Satyajit Deshmukh suggested creating a separate budget head. Explore the possibility of securing funds through the Employment Guarantee Scheme and the District Planning Committee (DPDC) was also suggested.

Settlement Commissioner of Land Records Suhas Diwase suggested documenting all roads in the 7/12 land records, define their boundaries, and assign survey numbers, as village access roads will be a boon for rural areas. It was also proposed that ownership of these roads should remain with the Revenue Department.

It was also suggested that village access roads should be at least six metres wide and usable year-round. MLA Hemant Patil suggested that the authority for these works be given to tehsildars instead of gram panchayats to expedite progress.

Employment Guarantee Scheme Minister Bharat Gogawale stated that this plan was crucial in empowering farmers, while Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal proposed the goal of completing the plan’s implementation within two years.