The completion of the 7-km Halga-Machhe bypass on the Belagavi-Panaji NH748A has been given a significant boost as the Seventh Additional Civil Court dismissed a petition filed by farmers. This ruling removes a key obstacle for the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), allowing the bypass construction to move forward without delay.
The controversy surrounding the bypass intensified as the farmers demanded the withdrawal of the highway and a halt to traffic until the bypass’s zero point was finalized. However, the court rejected these demands, which cleared the way for the NHAI to resume work on the bypass.
In a related development, NHAI Special Land Acquisition Officer Balram Chavan and his team conducted an inspection of the bypass site on Monday. The inspection aimed to address concerns raised by landowners, including discrepancies in the earlier survey and issues with compensation, as only one farmer had been compensated while others remained unpaid.
Farmer leader Raju Marve presented the concerns, particularly pointing out errors in the survey. One affected farmer also raised his grievances directly to the officials, stressing the importance of fairness and transparency. Chavan assured the farmers that the mistakes would be corrected promptly.
While the court ruling has cleared the path for the bypass’s development, farmers plan to challenge the verdict in a higher civil court within the next month. It remains to be seen whether their efforts will succeed in ensuring both development and justice for the affected landowners.
Following the court’s decision, construction work on the bypass has accelerated. The completed bypass is expected to ease traffic congestion in Belagavi city and save valuable time for commuters traveling between Goa, Pune, Hyderabad, and Dharwad.
