Mumbai, Feb. 5 -- The estimated cost of the BJP-led Mahayuti government's ambitious Nagpur-Goa Shaktipeeth Expressway has increased by more than Rs.12,000 crore due to a change in alignment following opposition from farmers in Kolhapur and other districts. Construction of the highway will now cost around Rs.96,000 crore, and the length will go up by more than 50 kilometres from the original 802 km, according to a presentation made before chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday. The presentation was made by officials from the Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), during a meeting reviewing the status of various road projects and land acquisition across Maharashtra. When the Shaktipeeth Expressway was announced in March 2023 by Fadnavis, then finance minister, the estimated cost was Rs.83,600 crore. Land acquisition for the project commenced in 2024, but faced stiff resistance from farmers in Marathwada and western Maharashtra, particularly the Kagal and Hatkanangle talukas in Kolhapur district. Farmers questioned the need for the project as a road between Nagpur and Goa was already functional. In late 2024, leaders from the ruling Mahayuti government too began supporting the resisting farmers, fearing defeat in assembly polls in November 2024. Eknath Shinde, then chief minister, assured farmers that the project would not be imposed on farmers and stayed the land acquisition process ahead of the assembly polls. After the Mahayuti government was elected back to power, the alignment of the proposed highway was altered, with large parts of Kagal and Hatkanangle talukas being excluded from land acquisition due to sustained resistance by farmers. Instead of 12 districts and 350 villages, the highway will now pass through 13 districts and 395 villages, while its total length will go up from 802 km to 856 km, MSRDC officials told Fadnavis. The chief minister ordered the officials to complete the land acquisition process as soon as possible by seeking help from local governance bodies and elected representatives and establishing dialogue with farmers. "Land acquisition process for the project should be expedited and the project should be completed in three years," he said. Anil Kumar Gaikwad, managing director, MSRDC told Hindustan Times, "With the length of the highway increasing by 54 km, we will have to spend more on land acquisition, construction and allied work. As per the revised estimate, the project will cost between Rs.95,000 crore and 96,000 crore." The revised proposal for the Shaktipeeth expressway alignment and cost would be scrutinised by the state government before approval, Gaikwad said....