Jalna, Apr 12 (PTI) Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana president Raju Shetti on Saturday opposed the proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway and said it was driven by vested interests.

The Rs 86,300 crore Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway is 810 kilometres long and will pass through 12 districts of Maharashtra.

“The Shaktipeeth Expressway project is not a development initiative but one driven by vested interests. It is meant to benefit a select few at the cost of common people and farmers. The actual cost of the project should have been Rs 28,000 crore, but it has increased by nearly Rs 58,000 crore. This clearly shows it is a project designed for the benefit of politicians and contractors,” Shetti told PTI.

“Nearly 27,000 acres of land belonging to 55,000 farmers will be acquired for the expressway. The compensation is not adequate. The amendments made to Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013 under the then Uddhav Thackeray government weakened the provisions meant to protect farmers,” he claimed.

Shetti pointed out that the Nagpur-Mumbai Samruddhi Expressway, which was made amid similar opposition, is underutilised.

He also slammed the Union government’s Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana.

“It is a scam to help private insurance companies. In the last five years, insurance companies have made a profit of Rs 50,000 crore across the country under this scheme. In Maharashtra alone, their profit was Rs 10,500 crore,” Shetti claimed.

He said Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar’s refusal to waive farm loans was “nothing short of betrayal”.

Shetti is currently touring Marathwada and Vidarbha to highlight farm woes. PTI COR BNM