Farmers' protest against Shaktipeeth disrupts traffic on national highways
The delay was caused by the chakka jam protest conducted by farmers under the banner of Shaktipeeth Highway Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti across 12 districts. The farmers opposed the proposed 802km Shaktipeeth project, which aims to connect Pawnar in Wardha district to Patra Devi in Sindhudurg district. The project is estimated to cost Rs 86,000 crore.
The protest was led by farmers' leader Raju Shetti, former MLA Ruturaj Patil, and former MLA Raju Awale at Panchaganga bridge in Shiroli.
Traffic on the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway 48 at Panchaganga bridge in Shiroli, and the Nagpur-Ratnagiri National Highway 166 at Ankali Phata in Sangli district was affected by the protest. Protests also took place on the Kalyan-Nirmal National Highway 222 in Nanded, the Latur-Mumbai National Highway 548B, and in Hingoli, further impacting highway traffic.
Despite the police earmarking alternative routes, many vehicles remained immobilised for nearly three hours.
Nadgowda Vallari, a truck driver from Bengaluru, said he had been stuck near the Tawade hotel in Kolhapur for two and a half hours. "My truck is a four-axle truck with heavy industrial machinery on it. I can't think of entering small city roads," he said. Omkar Salunkhe, a traveller from Gandhinagar, said, "I wanted to travel merely 5km to reach Shiroli. The alternative route, via Kasba Bawda-Shiye, is nearly 18km long.
Therefore, instead of taking the alternative route, I am stranded here waiting for the protest to conclude."
A significant police presence was maintained at the protest sites. In Kolhapur, some protesting farmers attempted 'jalsamadhi' by jumping into the swollen Panchaganga river at Shiroli bridge, but were prevented by the police. Sushila Patil, a farmer from Kogil village in Kolhapur, said, "Govt is not allowing us to die, nor to live.
If our farmland is acquired, how will we survive? What will we eat? My family of eight survives on our small piece of farmland.
What will we do if all the farmland gets acquired for this project? If they (officials) come for land acquisition, we will teach them a lesson. We will die, but won't give our farmland."
Police had issued a notice to Raju Shetti, urging him to refrain from reaching the protest site, but he did not comply.
Shetti said, "Getting wet in the rain, farmers in large numbers are protesting against govt because they want to save their farmlands. The Shaktipeeth highway will further increase the severity of floods in Kolhapur and Sangli districts. CM Devendra Fadnavis, on July 6, will be coming to the Vitthal-Rukmini temple at Pandharpur for the Ashadi-Ekadashi puja.
Before that, on July 4, the farmers will pray at Vitthal-Rukmini temple, requesting Lord Vitthal to give the CM some sense to cancel the Shaktipeeth project."
Meanwhile, opposition party MLAs and MLCs protested in front of the legislative assembly on Tuesday, demanding the cancellation of the project. MLC Satej Patil, MLC Ambadas Danve, Jitendra Awhad, and others attended the event. Satej Patil addressed the issue during the monsoon session of the assembly, stating, "We are celebrating Agriculture Day on Tuesday. Farmers from all 12 districts have to come on the roads on the same day to save their farmlands.
When there already is a Nagpur-Ratnagiri National Highway with only 25% traffic movement, why is there a need to construct another highway, destroying fertile land?"
Satish Kulkarni, who heads the Nanded local action committee of farmers against the Shakitpeeth highway, said: "Around 300 farmers from Nanded distrcit will be affected. We all have well-irrigated agricultural lands that receive water from Upper Penganga and Purna dams. No govt compensation can cover our damage," he said.
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