Maharashtra govt okays Rs 20,787 crore to accelerate the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway project
Mumbai: Reviving a politically sensitive expressway project that was put on hold before the assembly elections, the state cabinet on Tuesday approved the provision of Rs 20,787 crore to accelerate the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway project.
This expressway connects the Maharashtra-Goa border from Pawnar (Wardha district) in the east of the state to Patra Devi (Sindhudurg district) in the west.
The expressway, which will be 802.6 km long, connects 12 districts of the state: Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Sindhudurg. Later, it will be connected to the Konkan Expressway on the Goa-Maharashtra border.
Last year, the land acquisition for the Rs 80,000 crore Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth expressway was on hold until after the assembly polls due to widespread protests from the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA).
Some farmers were reluctant to give their lands for the project, causing political concerns ahead of the elections. In June last year, after farmers from Mangaon village in Hatkanangale tehsil of Kolhapur district burnt copies of the land acquisition notification issued by the state govt to express their opposition to the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth highway, then CM Eknath Shinde said that the project would be taken forward only by considering the sentiments of the public and taking them into confidence, and no project would be imposed on the people or taken away.
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"This highway will connect the major Shakti Peethas of the state: Mahur, Tuljapur, and Kolhapur, as well as the pilgrimage sites of Ambejogai. Also, the shrines of the saints Mukundaraj Swami, Jogai Devi, and 2 out of the 12 Jyotirlingas, Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath, Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple in Pandharpur, the most sacred place of Maharashtra, Karanja-Lad, Akkalkot, Gangapur, Narsobachi Wadi, Audumbara, and other religious places of Datta Guru will be connected.
This highway will reduce the travel time from Nagpur to Goa from 18 hours to 8 hours," officials said.
"A loan of Rs 12,000 crore has been approved by HUDCO for land acquisition for this project. About 7,500 hectares of land will be acquired from this fund. This entire project will be implemented by the Maharashtra Road Development Corporation (MSRDC). This highway is an attempt to connect the Shakti Peethas of Maharashtra, and the aim is to achieve tourism, transport, and rural development through it," the official said.
Protestors have claimed that despite opposition to the Shaktipeeth highway from farmers, the govt is still issuing land acquisition notifications without a hearing against the objections received. Meanwhile, on June 27, the farmers from Kavalapur in Sangli district will be carrying out a Rasta-roko protest in front of Siddeshwar temple at Kavalapur in Miraj tehsil of Sangli district.
The 'Shaktipeeth Highway Virodhi Sheti Bachao Samiti' will be carrying out a dharna outside the Sangli district collectorate on the same day. An all-party protest rally was organised in Kolhapur to demand the cancellation of the 802-km-long Shaktipeeth Highway project, involving farmers protesting against the acquisition of 8,000 hectares of land for the highway connecting pilgrim destinations in Maharashtra.
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