Belagavi
District In-Charge Minister Satish Jarkiholi recently met with farmers who have opposed the alignment of the Halaga-Macche bypass road for 13 years, arguing that the project threatens their fertile agricultural land. This Union government initiative aims to connect the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway with the Belagavi-Goa National Highway on the outskirts of Belagavi city.
Speaking to the media, Jarkiholi announced plans to lead a delegation of concerned farmers to meet Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari. The farmers have rejected the compensation offered for land acquisition, protesting against what they describe as the misuse of police power in the matter.
While the farmers are not demanding a complete cancellation of the project, they are advocating for a change in the bypass’s alignment, asserting that the initial approval was based on an inaccurate Detailed Project Report.
In response to the farmers’ claims, Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Roshan explained that the government had notified the acquisition of 124 acres of land in 2011, with additional notifications for 24 acres in 2019 and 12 acres in 2021.
The farmers had previously approached the high court in 2019, securing a four-week status quo on the project. However, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) appealed to the Supreme Court, which ruled in its favor. Subsequent appeals by the farmers have not altered the court’s decisions.
Initially estimated at Rs 15 crore, total compensation was later increased to Rs 45 crore after the new land acquisition act came into force in 2013, benefiting the affected farmers.
