The Rs 86,300 crore expressway is planned to stretch 810 kilometres and pass through 12 districts of Maharashtra. The corridor is expected to cut travel time between Nagpur and Goa to around eight hours
Sanjay Jadhav was leading a protest by farmers in Parbhani. Pic/X
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Jadhav on Monday accused the Maharashtra government of depriving farmers of their livelihoods by acquiring land for the proposed Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway.
Sanjay Jadhav, a Member of Parliament, was leading a protest by farmers in Parbhani. Similar agitations were also organised in parts of Beed district.
The Rs 86,300 crore expressway is planned to stretch 810 kilometres and pass through 12 districts of Maharashtra. The corridor is expected to cut travel time between Nagpur and Goa to around eight hours.
Addressing the gathering, Jadhav alleged that the land acquisition drive was aimed at benefiting the Adani Group by enabling easier transport of minerals from the Vidarbha region to Goa.
He claimed that farmers were being forced to part with ancestral land that sustains their families. According to him, the government was structuring tenders in a way that would favour large corporate interests.
Criticism of deputy CM
Jadhav also criticised Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, questioning his change in stance on the project. He said Shinde had earlier suggested that the Shaktipeeth Expressway would be scrapped.
Referring to Bal Thackeray, Jadhav said leaders should remember his teachings about standing up for ordinary people.
Jadhav further alleged that compensation offered to farmers would be inadequate and that such large infrastructure schemes could become avenues for corruption.
In a post on social media platform X, Jadhav said the message from farmers was clear — the Shaktipeeth Expressway must be scrapped. He questioned the need for a new highway when a parallel Ratnagiri-Nagpur national highway already exists. He alleged that the new project would only benefit contractors.
शक्तीपीठ महामार्ग विरोधात आज माझ्या नेतृत्वात हजारो शेतकरी बांधव रस्त्यावर उतरले. आमचा संदेश स्पष्ट आहे, शक्तीपीठ महामार्ग त्वरित आणि पूर्णपणे रद्द करा! रत्नागिरी-नागपूर असा समांतर राष्ट्रीय महामार्ग आधीच आहे. शक्तीपीठ जोडण्यासाठी हा नवीन मार्ग कशासाठी? फक्त कंत्राटदारांच्या… pic.twitter.com/onXogghy5Z
— MP Sanjay Jadhav (@SanjayJadhavPbn) February 23, 2026
Jadhav claimed that thousands of acres of fertile agricultural land across 12 districts, including Parbhani, Nanded, Sangli and Kolhapur, would be affected. He said plantations of banana, turmeric and grapes would be destroyed if the project goes ahead.
“If our land is gone, what will we eat? How will we survive?” he wrote, adding that the issue concerns not only him but farmers across Parbhani district.
Farmers opposing land measurement being arrested
The MP also alleged that farmers opposing land measurement were being arrested at night, issued village restriction notices and even assaulted. He claimed that in the Sajapur-Jawala area, farmers and women were beaten and a large police force was deployed. He questioned whether such actions were in keeping with democratic values.
Jadhav said the government had earlier promised during elections that the project would be cancelled, but was now pushing it forward forcefully.
He warned that farmers would not remain silent and would continue their agitation until the expressway plan is withdrawn. “This fight will continue till the end,” he said.
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