Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nov 7 (PTI) The Maharashtra government has Rs 86,000 crore for contractors to build the Shaktipeeth Expressway but does not have funds for distressed farmers of the state, Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray said on Friday.
The former chief minister is touring districts in Marathwada since November 5 to meet farmers affected by heavy rains that struck the region in the last week of September, leaving crops on thousands of hectares of land destroyed.
During the day, he visited Pardi village in Nanded, Dongarkada and Jawla Bazar in Hingoli as well as Pingali in Parbhani and interacted with farmers to find out if relief measures and financial aid announced by the Devendra Fadnavis government had reached them.
Speaking in Hingoli, Thackeray said, “The state government has Rs 86,000 crore to give contractors to build the Shaktipeeth Expressway but has no money for distressed farmers. There is no need for this expressway now. However, when I say this, the ruling party will claim I am opposed to development.” Slamming the state government further on the project, he said middlemen will purchase land along the route and then sell it at higher rates for the expressway.
“The people purchasing the land have already started making plans along the alignment of the expressway. Similarly, middlemen, rather than farmers, benefited from soybean purchase. Soybean purchased by middlemen will be sold to official procurement centres later at profit. They will earn profits while farmers will get nothing,” he said.
Hitting back at a comment by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that he just keeps taunting, Thackeray said “speaking about farmers’ issues and seeking justice for them is taunting for the CM.” Giving compensation is the duty of the government but he has to go about inquiring into it, Thackeray added.
“The CM, guardian ministers and MLAs should come to villages and ask people about their compensation. But they (ruling party) have nothing to do with such issues,” Thackeray added. PTI AW BNM
Category: Breaking News
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