Claiming environmental damage and corruption, farmers all throughout Maharashtra band together against Shakti Peeth Highway. Calls for mass opposition, Gram Sabha resolutions, and a state-level march from Banda to Wardha help to drive up protests.
Anshu Kashid | Pune| May 12, 2025 :Farmers from many districts have teamed together to violently oppose the proposed Shakti Peeth Highway, generating a tsunami of rallies around Maharashtra. Alleging that the project undermines their lands and the ecology, thousands of farmers under the command of former Minister and MLA Satej Patil have claimed they will not let the highway be built—even if it means facing gunshots.
Recently, Patil encouraged every village to pass Gram Sabha resolutions against the highway at a online meeting of farmers from throughout the state. According to him, Shakti Peeth is an unnecessary burden endangering agricultural fields and river ecosystems in Kolhapur and Sangli districts; the Kolhapur-Ratnagiri Highway already fulfills this function.
Corruption and Flood Anxiety
Political officials and farmer leaders expressed grave environmental issues and warned that the building of the roadway might cause extreme flooding during monsoons. Former MP Raju Shetty said that should infrastructure like the Danoli-Sangli bridge be built, places like Shirol tehsil and Sangli district might be decimated. “Kolhapur will become a pond if this road is built,” Shetty cautioned.
The Rs 86,000 crore project budget was also under fire for allegedly hiding extreme corruption and real estate profit-seeking under the pretext of development. MLA Praveen Swami claimed the roadway is meant to help contractors, not the ordinary guy.
Political Demand & Statewide Coordination
Demanders from activists have insisted that current MLAs and MPs adopt a public position on the matter. “Many oppose this in private, but they have to now speak up in public,” stated Patil. Reportedly joining the initiative are former and sitting legislators from ten constituencies, and meetings are set for impacted areas.
Late in May, the Shakti Peeth Highway Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti has declared a state-level protest march from Banda to Wardha in a strong show of opposition. Public gatherings, information campaigns, and memoranda to legislators will all part of the protest.
Advocate Gajendra Yelkar from Latur claimed that many Marathwada districts have farmers refusing to let survey personnel into their land. Local farmers in Sindhudurg have already demolished the first ghat structures connected to the building of the highway, so attacking agriculture and environment.
While Satish Lalit from Sindhudurg said, “Blocking the highway is now the only path left to safeguard our land, water, and future,” MLA Kailas Patil underlined the need of planning demonstrations like those observed in Purandar.The resistance is gathering steam daily; the message from the rural heartlands is clear: farmers will not back down.
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