Farmers' Protest: Blood-Inked Plea Against Highway Project in Maharashtra

Farmers in Maharashtra's Nanded district have strongly opposed the proposed Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway. They sent a blood-signed letter to Chief Minister Fadnavis, demanding project cancellation or permission to 'die collectively.' Their fertile lands, crucial for export crops, are threatened by the project.

In an extraordinary plea, farmers in Maharashtra's Nanded district have escalated their protest against the proposed Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway by sending a letter written in their own blood to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The letter contains signatures from over 200 farmers, urging the government to either halt the project or permit them to 'die collectively.'

The farmers, who hail from the Ardhapur and Malegaon areas, emphasize that the planned highway alignment threatens to decimate fertile, irrigated land, currently used for cultivating crops like bananas and turmeric, which are pivotal for direct exports. These lands are part of the Lower and Upper Penganga irrigation projects' benefit zone, making them highly valuable.

Coordinators of the Shaktipeeth Highway Virodhi Kruti Samiti, Subhash Moralwar and Satish Kulkarni, have accused the government of 'double standards,' citing recent changes in the highway's alignment in other districts due to alternative routes. They question why similar logic is not applied to their region, with National Highway 361 already in proximity. The farmers have warned of escalating protests if a satisfactory resolution is not reached soon.

(With inputs from agencies.)