The Halga-Machhe bypass project has cleared a critical hurdle after the Seventh Additional Civil Court dismissed a petition filed by aggrieved farmers on Tuesday. This verdict is a major boost for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), enabling them to expedite the construction of the contentious bypass., however, farmers say another petition is still pending with the High court.
The farmers, who had been protesting against the project, demanded the withdrawal of the highway and the halt of all traffic until the bypass’s zero-point was finalized. However, the court’s decision ended this immediate impasse, though the farmers plan to appeal to a higher court within a month.
Officer Balram Chavan and his team inspected the bypass site, addressing irregularities raised by the farmers. During the inspection, conducted in the presence of farmer leaders such as Raju Marve, discrepancies in the land survey and compensation process were highlighted.
Farmers alleged that survey numbers had been altered, leading to inconsistencies. Additionally, only a few received compensation, leaving other affected farmers uncompensated. Also notice was issued top one and compensation was paid to someone else. Chavan assured the farmers that their concerns would be reported to the District Collector and necessary corrective actions would follow.
In a meeting held at the District Collector’s office on Saturday, farmer representatives, including Marve, Subhash Marekache, and Gopal Somanache, reiterated their complaints. They claimed that the route of the bypass had been altered in multiple locations, causing significant losses to landowners. Furthermore, they alleged that compensation had been improperly distributed, with affected farmers being overlooked.
Chavan acknowledged these grievances and assured the farmers that corrective steps would be taken. He proposed a follow-up meeting with the District Collector to resolve the issues and ensure transparency in the compensation process.