A joint survey of 92 villages has been completed for land acquisition to build the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth expressway. In the next one-and-a-half to two months, the remaining villages will be surveyed, and land acquisition work will begin. In this regard, the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) has initiated the necessary steps.
The project is expected to cost Rs 86,300 crore, for which the state government has allocated Rs 20,000 crore. Currently, surveys are being conducted in 309 villages across 11 districts, excluding Kolhapur. Officials said they aim to complete the land acquisition process by the end of December 2025, following the completion of the survey work by August.
Also Read | Maharashtra Cabinet clears 802 km Shaktipeeth Expressway.
The 12 districts involved in the project are Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg. Anil Kumar Gaikwad, Managing Director of MSRDC, stated, "We are studying how to implement the project—whether through the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) model, annuity model or other options."
Farmers are strongly opposing the project in Dharashiv. Farmer leader Raju Shetti will meet farmers affected by construction work at Vanewadi today. For two consecutive days, farmers confronted officials who had come for land acquisition. Clashes also broke out between farmers and police during the land acquisition.