BELAGAVI
Agitating farmers on Tuesday once again stopped the work on the 12-km Halga Macche bypass on the Belagavi-Goa NH4A challenging the authorities to roll bull dozers over them. Thwarting the attempt by the NHAI to restart the work on the bypass, farmers and activists including children and women, slept on the road challenging the authorities.
Chaos prevailed at the work site as the farmers staging fierce protests started shouting slogans, “Stop the work immediately or roll over the bulldozers over us,” forcing the contractor to stop the work while the police team present at the site of the protest looked on helplessly.
It may be recalled that the work on the 12-km six lane bypass has been facing stiff opposition from the farmers in the region. Agitating farmers have been demanding stoppage of work claiming that NHAI is using the most fertile land for the construction of the bypass.
As the NHAI authorities were not relenting to the farmers' demand, farmers' organizations had obtained a stay from the Karnataka High Court. The NHAI had approached the court against the judgment last year however, the High Court had denied to vacate the stay citing farmers plea who have lost their small land holdings.
This in turn has affected the progress of the work, which is expected to result in the delay of the much required bypass to ease the traffic congestion in Belagavi city. The NHAI authorities are clueless as any delay in the work is expected to give rise in the cost of construction which in turn is expected to cause huge losses.
“We have small holdings, give poison to us and our children then only take our dwellings ,” the farmers said.
