The campaign will carry the slogan, “The tricolour flutters in our field, Shaktipeeth has no place in our farmland,” aimed at sending a strong message to the state government, Congress MLC Satej Patil said
The decision was finalised during an online meeting of the Shaktipeeth Expressway Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti on Saturday. Representational Pic
Farmers from 12 districts in Maharashtra will hoist the national flag in their fields on Independence Day as part of a unique protest against the proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway, which they allege will destroy fertile agricultural land.
The campaign will carry the slogan, “The tricolour flutters in our field, Shaktipeeth has no place in our farmland,” aimed at sending a strong message to the state government, Congress MLC Satej Patil said, reported news agency PTI.
The decision was finalised during an online meeting of the Shaktipeeth Expressway Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti on Saturday, attended by farmers and public representatives from the affected districts.
In June, the Maharashtra cabinet approved a budget of Rs 20,787 crore for the 802-km expressway, which will pass through 12 districts, connecting eastern Maharashtra with southern Konkan. Once completed, it is expected to reduce travel time between Nagpur and Goa from 18 hours to just eight, according to officials.
The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will implement the project, and HUDCO has sanctioned a loan of Rs 12,000 crore for the acquisition of nearly 7,500 hectares of land, the officials earlier said, reported news agency PTI.
The expressway aims to link all 'Shaktipeeths' in the state and develop rural areas through tourism and connectivity, they added.
The high-speed corridor will pass through the districts of Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg.
Patil said the protest move symbolises farmers' demand for "freedom" from the project.
He alleged the expressway's cost had risen from Rs 86,000 crore to Rs 1.06 lakh crore and urged the government to instead focus on road construction in underdeveloped areas and loan waivers for farmers.
Farmer leader and former MP Raju Shetti said the protest was aimed at "freeing the land" at a time when cultivable area in the country is shrinking.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Vinayak Raut claimed the expressway would benefit only contractors and politicians, while MLA Kailas Patil took a swipe at the chief minister, saying the project may be a "dream" or "cream" for him. according to the news agency PTI.
The meeting also resolved to pass anti-expressway resolutions in gram sabhas on August 15 and to launch a signature campaign in villages, former MLA Ruturaj Patil said.
He said the campaign would begin in 10 villages of the Kolhapur South constituency in the coming days.
The protest is part of a wider agitation, with farmers from the affected areas also expected to join the August 13 nationwide protest called by the Samyukt Kisan Morcha at Bindu Chowk in Kolhapur, Satej Patil said, as per the news agency PTI.
(With PTI inputs)
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