India, June 25 -- The Maharashtra government on Tuesday decided not only to go ahead with the Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway but also to fund the complete process of land acquisition for the project. It has approved a sum of Rs.20,787 crore for acquiring more than 7,500 hectares of land. Of the total amount, Rs.12,000 crore will be taken as a loan from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation (HUDCO).

The state cabinet took the decision despite strong resistance from farmers, especially those from western Maharashtra districts. During the meeting, two ministers-medical education minister Hasan Mushrif and state health minister Prakash Abitkar-expressed their reservations about taking the project ahead despite this opposition. Bot...