Farmers from 12 districts have declared strong opposition to the proposed Shaktipeeth Highway, vowing not to let it be constructed at the cost of their lands. In a major protest, thousands of farmers will march to Mumbai’s Vidhan Bhavan on Wednesday during the ongoing assembly session. This announcement was made by Girish Fonde, coordinator of the Shaktipeeth Highway Opposition Struggle Committee, on Sunday.
The march will commence from Azad Maidan at 9am, with over 10,000 farmers from across the state participating. Notably, around 4,000 farmers from Kolhapur district alone will join the demonstration. Congress Legislative Council Leader Satej Patil will lead the march. Earlier, farmers from 12 districts had pledged not to give up an inch of their land for the highway and had launched a movement from Kolhapur.
Farmers from Kolhapur, Sangli, Solapur, Nanded, Parbhani, Hingoli, Latur, Dharashiv, Sindhudurg, Beed, Wardha and Yavatmal have opposed the highway project since its inception. The growing agitation from Kolhapur has sent shockwaves through the ruling government. The struggle committee has challenged Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to publicly name the legislators who support the project. They also accused the chief minister of failing to hold discussions with farmers despite promising to do so over the past year.
Why are farmers angry?
The project was stalled before the assembly elections due to opposition from farmers in Kolhapur and Sangli districts. However, after taking office, Fadnavis gave the green light to resume the project. This decision has enraged farmers, leading to the planned massive protest on March 12.
The proposed highway aims to connect three major Shaktipeeth temples: Karveer Nivasini Ambabai in Kolhapur, Tuljabhavani in Tuljapur, and Renuka Devi in Mahur (Nanded). Additionally, it will link two major Jyotirlinga pilgrimage sites – Parli Vaijnath and Aundha Nagnath. While the government claims the project will enhance religious tourism, farmers argue that their priority is access to water, not highways. Protesters allege that the highway is being built to benefit industrialists rather than the common people.
Project cost and route
The Rs86,000 crore project will start from Wardha and pass through Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg. It will also integrate an 80-kilometre section of the Nagpur-Wardha Samruddhi Expressway.
With thousands of farmers gearing up for the protest, the government faces growing pressure to address their concerns.
