BELAGAVI
The angry farmers stopped the ongoing works on Halaga-Machhe bypass road on the Belagavi-Goa NH4A near Halaga village in Belagavi for the second time in the past two days. The farmer organisations have also decided to block the national highway-4 near Suvarna Vidhana Soudha (SVS) on September 28, to condemn the authority and support the nationwide protest against farm bills.
Despite the stay on the work, the farmers got intimation that the work of Halaga-Machhe bypass road has commenced, they gathered at the worksite and forcefully stopped the work on Friday and Saturday simultaneously.
In a memorandum submitted to the district administration, the farmers have stated that the authority must give up the decision of developing the bypass as it passes through paddy growing fertile land. In case authorities do not change the decision, a massive protest will be staged in the coming days, the protestors warned.
A woman protestor lamented that she has lost her husband and has no children to look after her, if the small piece of land she owns is snatched for the bypass, she will not be left with any source of livelihood.
Alleging that the work is being carried out without any order, farmer leader Raju Marve said with the implementation of the bypass the livelihood of several farmers in the 12 km belt will be destroyed. Demanding immediate withdrawal of the work and plan for a new route, and to support the nationwide agitation against farm bills, the farmers said that they would intensify the agitation from September 28 onwards.
