Samruddhi Corridor protests intensify, gain MP’s support
FLASHPOINT Protests took a nasty turn after police lathicharged farmers in Thane
An action committee against the Samruddhi Corridor has decided to intensify its agitation opposing it. The corridor is expected to go through farmlands in different districts of Maharashtra.
The protests took a nasty turn after police lathicharged the farmers protesting in Kalyan tehsil of Thane district on Wednesday.
The committee will hold protest rallies from next week in villages of Nashik, Jalna and Amravati districts where people will be displaced due to this project.
Raju Shetty, Member of Parliament and leader of Swabhimani Shetakari Sanghatana (SSS), has extended support to the farmers and will join the protests.
The Thane district administration is on alert to move forward on this ambitious Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Highway or Samruddhi Corridor. The farmers who will be displaced by the corridor have been protesting for six months from across Kalyan to Nagpur.
On Wednesday police lathicharged protestors opposing the marking of their lands at Falegaon in Kalyan tehisl. Project Affected people (PAP) from Ushid, Danbav, Chinchawali, Raya and other villages gathered at Falegoan. The area was converted into military camp as paramilitary force was deployed against protestors.
The farmers agitated for six hours and shouted slogans against PM Narendra Modi. Few tried to burn effigies. That is when the police resorted to lathi charge.
Meanwhile, SSS president Shetty met PAPs in Sinnar tehsil and extended his support. On Saturday, farmers in a large number will hold protests in Sinnar and more than 2,000 SSS workers are expected to join the protests.
In Shahapur (Thane), from where the protests began, a “rasta roka” will be held and more than 5,000 people from 10 tehsils will join the protest.
On the other hand, the second phase of the Sangharsh Yatra led by Congress and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) will culminate at Shahapur on April 18. Opposition members of Congress-NCP have laid high priority to the Samruddhi Corridor issue.
Meanwhile, Prashant Kadam, additional superintendent of Police of Thane, rural, denied using any force or violence on the farmers.
“We had deployed a huge police force at the place of land demarking. Farmers were preventing officials from conducting their work. We handled the situation carefully and without using any force.”