Satej Patil questions delay in handing over notification for cancellation of Kolhapur stretch of Shaktipeeth Highway

Kolhapur: MLC Satej Patil on Wednesday questioned the delay in handing over the notification for cancellation of Kolhapur stretch of Shaktipeeth Highway, dubbing it a "political gimmick" of Mahayuti govt ahead of assembly elections."The order seems to have been issued recently by putting in an earlier date," Patil said while addressing a press conference in Kolhapur. He also asked why Kolhapur was excluded from the list of 12 districts the expressway was supposed to pass through. "If the highway is to be constructed, it has to pass through Kolhapur," he said. "This highway could not have gone towards Sindhudurg and Goa by skipping Kolhapur district. Would the highway have gone via an aerial route? Or would there have been a flyover for the entire Kolhapur district stretch?" Patil said, demanding cancellation of the entire highway as there was unrest among farmers in all the 12 districts.Earlier on Tuesday evening, while campaigning in Kagal, guardian minister Hasan Mushrif handed over the notification regarding cancellation of Shaktipeeth highway in Kolhapur to Sanjay Ghatge, a former MLA, and a member of Shaktipeeth Highway Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti.Addressing a public rally, Mushrif said, "Considering the opposition from the farmers, the Shaktipeeth highway has been cancelled, and I have come here with the notification regarding its cancellation."Girish Phonde, coordinator, Shaktipeeth Highway Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti, said, "If this highway cancellation notification was issued on Oct 15, the day when the model code of conduct was implemented in the state, then why was the notification announced on Oct 22? According to the order, the gazette notification issued earlier on March 7 regarding the highway passing through 59 villages in six tehsils of Kolhapur district has been cancelled. We not only want cancellation of the highway notification but also cancellation of land acquisition notification. The govt can de-notify the highway notification any time and acquire land for the highway.""We are demanding cancellation of the entire highway passing through all 12 districts of Maharashtra. According to sub-sections 15 and 17 of the State Highways Act, 1955, only the Kolhapur stretch of the highway has been cancelled," added Phonde.Deputy collector of land acquisition department in Kolhapur said she is yet to receive any update regarding cancellation of the highway.
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