Hundreds of farmers along with their wives and children of the respective villages staged a protest on the Belgaum-Khanapur road on Monday against the planned ring road which destroyed the fertile farmlands of the farmers in 32 villages of Belgaum taluka. At this time, it was demanded that the proposal of Belgaum Ring Road, which has forced the farmers to flee the country by protesting the government, should be canceled immediately.
Attempts have been made to seize the fertile lands of farmers for Belgaum Ring Road and against it, hundreds of farmers led by Belgaum Taluka Maharashtra Integration Committee staged a Rasta Roko protest on the Belgaum-Khanapur road at Zadshahapur this morning. The National Highway is trying to grab the fertile farm lands of 32 villages in the taluka for the Belgaum Ring Road. Although the farmers have filed objections against it, as the court fight is also important, the farmers showed their strength to the National Highway Authority and Belgaum district administration by protesting at Zadarshapur this Monday morning. It was also expressed at this time that under no circumstances should the agricultural land yielding tibar crop be given to the National Highways Authority. To participate in the Rasta Roko protest, farmers from the 32 villages concerned along with farmers from the taluka were seen arriving at the protest site in large numbers early this morning. Many farmers also brought their bullock carts to the protest site.
The participation of women from farmers’ families in the Rasta Roko movement was significant. These women were holding anti-ring road placards in their hands and had hit the road. Farmers’ Ajan children and school children who participated in the road block along with the women and raised loud slogans were attracting the attention of all. During the protest, the protestors left the area in a state of panic with slogans such as “Damn the government that made the anti-farmer ring road, agriculture is not our right, someone’s father’s, Jai Jawan Jai Kisan”.
Along with these slogans, on the other hand, the alarm of the Bhajani Mandal was also going on. Therefore, a different atmosphere was felt at the place of Rasta Roko. The saffron flag could be seen fluttering at various places at the protest site.
Speaking to Belgaum Live on this occasion, the agitating farmer from Nandihalli, Parshuram Shettappa Kolkar, said that agriculture is our mother. Like a mother, our farmland nurtures us till death. Now if the same agricultural land is gone, how can we live? How will the future of our children be secured? This is why today we are blocking the way by coming down the road against the acquisition of fertile agricultural land. If the government does not immediately withdraw the ring road proposal, we will teach a lesson to the government by launching a more violent agitation. Apart from opposing the ring road, we are also opposed to the railway line that is going through Nandihalli to Bagewadi, saying that we will not give up our farm land for the ring road under any circumstances. Better if we lose our lives for it. Parashuram Kolkar explained that agricultural land is like sun and moon for us. Another farmer woman along with Shubhangi Goral expressed their strong opposition to the ring road. If the officials come to survey the ring road, we will strongly oppose them and run back. The ring road will destroy our fertile farm land that produces tibar crops. Then government should build fly over bridge instead of ring road. If our agricultural lands are destroyed, how will our existence continue? How will children be educated? It is being said that compensation for farm land to be acquired for ring road and government job will be given by asking this question.
But that compensation will not last us forever. Also, because of a government job with a salary of 5-10 thousand rupees, our household will not work and children will not get education. This is why we don’t want a ring road, said Shubhangi Goral
In this Rasta Roko movement, former MLA Manohar Kinekar, General Secretary Adv. M. G. Patil, Former Mayor Shivaji Sunthkar, Former Dist. Pt. Member Saraswati Patil, R. M. Chaugule, Adv. Sudhir Chavan, Adv. Shyam Patil, Adv. Prasad Sadekar, R. i. A large number of farmers from the respective 32 villages participated under the leadership of Patil and other leaders. Due to the said movement, the traffic on the Belgaum-Khanapur route was disrupted for a long time. Heavy police presence was kept during the agitation to prevent any untoward incident.
