Thu Mar 13 03:41:44 UTC 2025: ## Thousands of Maharashtra Farmers Protest Controversial Expressway Project

**Mumbai, March 13, 2025** – Thousands of farmers from 12 districts in Maharashtra staged a massive protest in Mumbai on Wednesday, opposing the ₹86,000 crore Shaktipeeth Expressway project. The demonstration, held at Azad Maidan, saw farmers accusing the Devendra Fadnavis government of corruption and land grabbing.

Farmers’ representative and former MP Raju Shetti highlighted discrepancies in the project’s cost, claiming that the government’s estimate of ₹107 crore per kilometer for the six-lane highway is inflated by ₹70 crore compared to his own calculations based on government data. He questioned the project’s justification, pointing out that while it’s ostensibly designed to connect temples, its route extends to Goa.

The project, approved in 2023, requires the acquisition of 9,385 hectares of land, including 265 hectares of forest land, impacting thousands of families across the state. Farmers expressed fears of losing their homes and livelihoods, with many recounting stories of inadequate compensation and broken government promises. One farmer, Jyotiananda Kamble, spoke of losing her home built on pasture land after 35 years. Another, Dhuleshwar Nheri, highlighted the insufficient compensation offered for his land, leaving his family with no future prospects.

Opposition leaders from the NCP(SP) and Congress joined the protest, raising concerns about the impact on farmers’ livelihoods and the lack of transparency in the project’s tendering process. They criticized the government’s use of the 1894 British Land Acquisition Act to expedite land acquisition.

Experts also raised concerns about the expressway’s design, which will reportedly prohibit the use of rickshaws, scooters, and tractors, and its potential to exacerbate flooding in Sangli and Kolhapur districts. Furthermore, the protest organizers warned that the project could drive farmers to suicide.

The protest underscores growing resentment towards the project amongst the affected population, with many voicing skepticism towards the government’s promises of adequate compensation and development benefits. The future of the Shaktipeeth Expressway remains uncertain amid escalating farmer opposition.

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