Shaktipeeth Highway comes to forefront of Maharashtra politics

Mumbai: The proposed Shaktipeeth Expressway has come to the forefront of Maharashtra politics. 

Massive protests were held over the past few days in the 12 districts of Maharashtra, from where the Shaktipeeth Expressway will pass. 

The 802-km six-lane Shaktipeeth Expressway - which will connect Nagpur to Goa  - is expected to cost Rs Rs 86,300 crore. 

This project, passing through 12 districts,  seeks to connect Pawanar (Wardha district) in Vidarbha to Patra Devi (Sindhudurg district) along the Maharashtra-Goa border.

These 12 districts  are Wardha and Yavatmal (in Vidarbha), Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Latur, Beed and Dharashiv (in Marathwada), Solapur, Sangli and Kolhapur (Western Maharashtra) and Sindhudrug (Konkan).

“The Shaktipeeth Expressway, which imposes a burden of Rs 86,000 crore on the people of Maharashtra, runs parallel to the Ratnagiri-Nagpur Expressway. The minimum distance between these two Expressways is two kilometers, and the maximum distance is 30 kilometers. How are both expressways, passing through 12 districts of Maharashtra, parallel?,” asked farmers leader Raju Shetti, who is spearheading the protests. 

After the Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Expressway, which is formally known as Hindu Hrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Maharashtra Samruddhi Mahamarg, is a 701-km-long international class super highway, the Shaktipeeth Expressway is a big marquee project for the MahaYuti-NDA dispensation. 

The Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) will be the nodal agency for the mega-project. 

The opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi comprising Congress, Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-headed NCP (SP) have backed the protests.

It will pass through three Shakti Peethas of Mahalaxmi (Kolhapur), Tulja Bhawani (Dharashiv) and Patradevi (Goa), two Jyotirlingas of Aundha Nagnath  (Hingoli) and Parli Vaijnath (Beed), historic  town of Pandharpur, which houses the the Shri Vitthal-Rukmini Mandir - dedicated to God Vithoba - a form/incarnation of Lord Vishnu or Lord Krishna and his consort Goddess Rakhumai.

Earlier this year, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis held a series of meetings with Deputy CMs Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar for the revival of the project.

Pawar, who is the Finance Minister, had announced the project in the Budget 2024-25 when Shinde was the CM.

However, it had to be temporarily put on hold because of protests ahead of the 2024 Vidhan Sabha polls. 

After the Fadnavis-headed government came to power, the CM revived the project. 

In his address to the budget session’s joint sitting of the budget session, Governor CP Radhakrishnan announced the plans of the project. “My government has decided to undertake the construction of Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway. This expressway will be completed after taking all persons into confidence,” the Governor said. 

In the Budget 2025-26 tabled by Pawar a couple of days ago, he mentioned it. “Land acquisition process for the Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Highway, which stretches from Pavnar in Wardha district to Patradevi in Sindhudurg district, is in progress,” he said.

The Expressway originating from the central India hub of Nagpur will slash travel time to Goa  from 18-20 hours to just 8-10 hours. By enhancing connectivity across 12 districts, it aims to boost tourism, regional development, and provide easier access to spiritual sites.