Maharashtra Government Gives Green Signal to Redesigned Shaktipeeth Highway.

The Public Works Department Maharashtra recently issued a government resolution approving a revised alignment for the Maharashtra Shaktipeeth Highway, also known as the Nagpur–Goa corridor.

Under the new plan, the highway will pass through 40 talukas across 13 districts—Wardha, Yavatmal, Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Beed, Latur, Dharashiv, Solapur, Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg. The route will connect 21 धार्मिक sites, including key Shaktipeeths at Mahur, Tuljapur and Kolhapur.

The revised alignment increases the total length of the highway to 865.76 km from the earlier 803 km. While the original design remains unchanged in districts such as Wardha, Yavatmal, Beed and Latur, modifications have been made in Nanded, Hingoli, Parbhani, Dharashiv, Solapur, Sangli, Kolhapur and Sindhudurg to incorporate Satara district into the route.

Once completed, the highway is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Nagpur and Goa from the current 18 hours to around eight hours.

However, the revised alignment has drawn opposition from farmers. Girish Phonde, coordinator of the Shaktipeeth Highway Virodhi Sangharsh Samiti, said a statewide agitation would be launched within eight days. He alleged that the government altered the alignment in response to ongoing protests but failed to address farmers’ concerns, noting that the new route continues to pass through irrigated agricultural land.

Phonde also criticised the inclusion of Satara district, claiming it lacks major Shaktipeeth or pilgrimage sites, and said the government had not held discussions with protesting farmers over the past two years.