The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved land acquisition worth about Rs 208 billion for the proposed 802-kilometre Shaktipeeth Expressway, which will run from Pavnar in Wardha district to Patradevi on the Goa border. Scheduled to connect twelve districts—Wardha, Yavatmal, Hingoli, Nanded, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg—the corridor will also link with the planned Konkan Expressway, slashing the journey from Nagpur to Goa from eighteen hours to eight.

Conceived as a cultural and religious artery, the highway will knit together major shrines such as the Shaktipeeths at Mahur, Tuljapur and Kolhapur, the Ambajogai temple, Pandharpur’s Shri Vitthal Rukmini Mandir, and the Jyotirlingas at Aundha Nagnath and Parli Vaijnath. Although expected to boost pilgrimage and regional tourism, the scheme has encountered sharp resistance from farmers—particularly in western Maharashtra—who fear large-scale land loss.

During Tuesday’s meeting Education Minister Hasan Mushrif and Health Minister Prakash Abitkar, both from Kolhapur, warned that farmer anger had already hurt the ruling Mahayuti alliance in recent polls. In response, the Cabinet approved only the Pavnar-to-Sangli section (over 700 kilometres) and dropped the contentious alignment through six Kolhapur talukas, including Shirol and Karvir.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) to draft an alternative Sangli-to-Sindhudurg alignment after talks with local stakeholders. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar later told reporters that no land would be taken without consent, stressing “there will be no forced implementation”.

The project will be executed by MSRDC, which has secured a Rs 120 billion loan from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation to purchase nearly 7 500 hectares. Promoted as a catalyst for economic integration across Vidarbha, Marathwada and western Maharashtra, the expressway is expected to strengthen links between key spiritual, commercial and coastal zones once a final route is agreed.