Why is the Rs. 86,300 Cr Shaktipeeth Expressway facing massive farmer protests across 12 Maharashtra districts?

Time of India

16-07-2025

Shaktipeeth Expressway: The Shaktipeeth Expressway is an ambitious ₹86,300 crore infrastructure project in Maharashtra, designed to connect Nagpur in the east to Patradevi in Sindhudurg on the Goa border. The 802-km six-lane greenfield expressway aims to reduce travel time, boost logistics, and promote regional development.
However, the expressway has triggered widespread farmer protests across 12 districts, making it one of the most controversial projects in the state's recent history.
Why Are Farmers Protesting the Shaktipeeth Expressway?
The expressway, stretching over 802 kilometers, will pass through Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur, and Sindhudurg.
Over 55,000 agrarian families are reportedly affected by the land acquisition drive. Farmers allege that the government is planning to acquire around 27,000 acres of fertile agricultural land, much of which is irrigated and has supported generations of rural livelihoods.
The resistance is particularly fierce in districts like Sangli, Beed, and Hingoli, where protests have included road blockades on national highways such as the Sangli-Kolhapur route and Pune-Bengaluru National Highway.
Many fear that even with compensation, the loss of land will permanently affect their way of life. Concerns have also been raised about the parallel alignment of this expressway with the existing Ratnagiri-Nagpur Expressway, questioning the need for another similar route.
Shaktipeeth Expressway: Political and Social Backlash
The Shaktipeeth Expressway has sparked political controversy, with opposition leaders and farmer groups like the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leading protests. On Krushi Din (July 1), thousands of farmers across 12 districts staged 'chakka jam' blockades, disrupting highway traffic to oppose the land surveys.
Shaktipeeth Expressway Land Acquisition: Overview
Shaktipeeth Expressway: Regions Affected by the Expressway
The expressway will pass through key regions in eastern, central, and western Maharashtra, impacting both agricultural and tribal areas. The alignment overlaps with productive farmlands, increasing rural resistance.
Shaktipeeth Expressway: Farmers main concerns
Below are the required Farmers Main Concerns listed:
Land Acquisition and Compensation: Farmers argue that the acquisition process is proceeding without adequate dialogue, with fears of poor or delayed compensation and permanent loss of fertile land managed by families across generations.
Redundancy and Economic Viability: Farmers' leaders, including Raju Shetti of Swabhimani Shetkari Sangathana, have questioned the project's necessity, highlighting that the expressway runs parallel (2 to 30 km apart) to the existing Ratnagiri-Nagpur National Highway (NH166), which itself is running at a loss.
Impact on Livelihood: Especially in Marathwada, many farmers claim the project will hurt economic stability by displacing horticulture and agricultural communities.
Consultation Deficit: Representatives like MP Vishal Patil have demanded village-level consultations rather than unilateral imposition of the project by the government.
Shaktipeeth Expressway: Maharashtra Government's Response
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has defended the expressway as a transformative infrastructure venture that will stimulate economic growth in Marathwada and western Maharashtra, comparing its impact to the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway.
The government believes the expressway will foster regional development and improve connectivity to important religious sites, or Shaktipeeths.
However, the government also faces pressure to address farmers' grievances and evaluate project viability seriously, with ongoing studies by IIT-Roorkee and IIT-Hyderabad regarding traffic, toll collection, and financial feasibility.
FAQs
1. What is the Shaktipeeth Expressway and where will it run?
Answer: The Shaktipeeth Expressway is a proposed 802-km long, ₹86,300 crore greenfield highway connecting Nagpur to Patradevi (Goa border), passing through 12 Maharashtra districts.
2. Why are farmers protesting the Shaktipeeth Expressway?
Answer: Farmers are protesting because the project may acquire 27,000 acres of fertile agricultural land, affecting over 55,000 families, threatening their livelihoods and traditional farming.
3. Which districts in Maharashtra are affected by the Shaktipeeth Expressway?
Answer: The expressway will pass through 12 districts, including Nagpur, Kolhapur, Sindhudurg, and others. These areas are rich in cultivable and irrigated lands, raising concerns among locals.
4. Is the Shaktipeeth Expressway different from the Ratnagiri-Nagpur Expressway?
Answer: Critics claim it runs parallel to the Ratnagiri-Nagpur Expressway, questioning its necessity. The distance between the two expressways is as little as 2 to 30 kilometers in some regions.
5. What is the Maharashtra government's stance on the protests?
Answer: The government has approved funding and maintains the project will enhance infrastructure. However, it faces intense backlash for inadequate dialogue with farmers and compensation concerns.
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