Farmer leader Raju Shetti on Sunday criticised the Maharashtra government over the proposed 802-km Shaktipeeth Expressway, alleging inflated land acquisition costs and inadequate compensation to farmers.
In a post on X, Shetti, who leads the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana, alleged that the government was profiting at the expense of farmers.
The planned high-speed expressway will connect Pavnar in Wardha district, in the Vidarbha region, to Patradevi in coastal Sindhudurg, Konkan. It will pass through 12 districts before reaching Goa.
The project is estimated to cost Rs 86,000 crore, which amounts to Rs 107 crore per kilometre. Shetti, a former MP, noted that this cost is significantly higher than the Rs 20-25 crore per kilometre benchmark set by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) for land acquisition.
Shetti claimed the state would incur an additional Rs 75-76 crore per kilometre. He further stated that farmers’ compensation for the Shaktipeeth Expressway would be just 40% of what was offered for the Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Expressway.
“This government is determined to impose the Shaktipeeth Mahamarg (on farmers) at any cost, but we will fight it tooth and nail,” Shetti said. He also criticised the toll revenue model, arguing that the benefits would not be passed on to the farmers who are giving up their land for the expressway.
“Why are farmers, who will lose their land permanently, not given a share in this revenue generated through toll collection? Why should only the government benefit,” he questioned.
(With PTI inputs)