Mumbai-Nagpur E-way will destroy farmers: Ajit Pawar

Mumbai: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar on Thursday alleged that “Mumbai-Nagpur Samruddhi Corridor”, the ambitious infrastructure project undertaken by the BJP-led Maharashtra government “would destroy farmers” in the acquisition of their land.

“The Samruddhi Corridor is not a path to development but is a path that will destroy the lives of farmers,” he said, while addressing the concluding rally of the second phase of “Sangharsh Yatra” campaign at Shahapur in Palghar district Tuesday evening. Opposition parties, NCP and Congress, have launched the campaign to demand waiver of farmers’ loans. The proposed 750km “communication highway” connecting Mumbai and Nagpur (Samruddhi Corridor) will need acquisition of 56,000 acre land, Mr Pawar said.

“Farmers will have to give up their fertile and irrigated land in areas like Shahapur, Igatpuri, Sinnar and Kopargaon," he alleged. Mumbai and Nagpur were already well-connected by air and rail, he said and added, “The existing road infrastructure could have been upgraded... whose prosperity does the government want by proposing a new highway!” he said.

The state government requires around 20,000 hectare land for the expressway. The Bhiwandi-Nagpur corridor will pass through 350 villages and 27 talukas. Currently, preparation of the detailed project report is in process. The deadline for the e-way, expected to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur to 10 hours from the current 15 to 17 hours, is 2019.

Mr Pawar said that on one hand, the  government was saying that it did not have any money to waive farmers’ loans and on the other hand, it was willing to spend Rs 46,000 crore on this corridor.