NHAI will resume the Halaga-Macche bypass project following the Karnataka High Court’s decision to lift the stay order, which had halted the work. The court’s decision, issued on Tuesday, has surprised numerous farmers who have been opposing the project for more than six years to safeguard their arable land.
The Halaga-Macche bypass forms a segment of the central government’s ambitious Bharatmala project, aimed at linking the Belagavi-Panjim National Highway with the Pune-Bengaluru National Highway. As part of this initiative, the government has acquired land spanning from Halaga to Macche, encompassing areas such as Madhavpur, Vadagaon, Shahapur, Angol, and Majagaon.
Despite receiving approval for the project and commencing land acquisition procedures in 2009, it has encountered persistent opposition from farmers who argue that the acquired land is fertile and irrigated. Efforts by authorities to initiate construction using police intervention have been repeatedly foiled by the farmers. In 2021, NHAI suspended work on the project following an incident where a farmer tragically set himself ablaze in an act of self-immolation.
Interestingly, the opposition to the project comes primarily from farmers who own fertile land, rather than from all those who have lost their land. A significant portion of farmers has already been compensated, receiving amounts ranging from Rs 40 lakh to Rs 50 lakh per acre. Sources indicate that the court’s decision followed the withdrawal of petitions by 18 farmers who had initially opposed the land acquisition. Delays in commencing the project have been attributed to the numerous instances where farmers obtained stay orders.
Currently, the farmers are contemplating lodging an appeal in a higher court. Advocate Ravikumar Gokakakar stated that a fresh appeal would be submitted on behalf of the farmers.
