Lok Sabha elections 2024: In banana belt, a highway holds key to growth

Widening work on the road is underway. Pic/Ashish Raje

Upon exiting the Maharashtra-Samruddhi Expressway at Aurangabad, one encounters a flurry of activity - resurfacing, expanding, concreting in preparation of the Taloda-Burhanpur section of National Highway 753B - along the route leading to India's banana belt in Raver. This development, however, highlights a broken promise by former Member of Parliament Raksha Khadse.

Khadse had pledged to route the highway near Raver city and its eastern vicinity. The work going on includes levelling road surfaces, expanding to four lanes, erecting pedestrian bridges, and concretising stretches, totalling a preparatory investment of R61.14 crore for the 232.2 km section. Now, villagers say, with the highway passing through Muktainagar, the development of the eastern part of the taluka will be stunted. "Is the highway really coming up? The gazette notification says something else. Is it really going to pass through Raver," questioned resident Mukesh Choudhari.

Work underway at the 232.2 km Taloda-Burhanpur section of National Highway 753B

In the gazette released by the government, the plan mentions widening and quadrupling the planned national highway of a total length of 240 km from Nizar (Gujarat) to Burhanpur (Madhya Pradesh). Along with Nizar, Taloda, Shahada, Shirpur, Amalner, Faizpur, Bhusawal, and Burhanpur, the revenue land under the jurisdiction of the sub-divisional office will have to be acquired, the authority, which is with local officers. The government has to acquire new land in 24 villages in Chopda taluka, 23 each in Yawal and Raver talukas, five villages in Muktainagar, and three villages in Burhanpur taluka of Madhya Pradesh.

"Raver is a key city that contributes the most to the banana identity of Jalgaon. This is one chance for growth and it was promised, but with the change in alignment of the highway, things will be different now. Wider roads and better infrastructure always help in faster transport and logistics," Ganesh Savkare, a local resident, said.

"This old road to Muktainagar is being developed, which is a good thing, but what happened to the promise of Khadsetai? It better come up as planned. She even said she was ready to give on a stamp paper in writing that she would get the national highway to Raver," another local Vijay Ranpise, said. "Raver needs irrigation projects for agriculture, industries, and growth for the youth to address unemployment. The new highway would mean a lot for Raver, but if the highway is not coming up, politicians will have to face consequences through the ballot," said Shivraj Shibar a local resident.

Villagers feel betrayed as a promise was broken. Pics/Ashish Raje

"The highway will pass through the eastern part as promised and there have been meetings with the authorities at National Highway Authority India. Before a highway is set up, there are pre-alignment studies and other allied works. Many have misunderstood these and are making statements. I assure you the national highway will pass through Raver as promised," sitting MP and Lok Sabha candidate from Raver Raksha Khadse told mid-day.

Officials said the actual construction work will begin after Union cabinet approvals and since all of this will take time, what is now being done are repairs and upgrades of the existing roads for which the local leaders have got Rs 60 crore sanctioned. "Also, villagers will be losing land due to the new alignment of the highway. There is no clarity if villagers will get adequate compensation," NCP (SP) candidate Sriram Patil said.

Rs 61.14 cr
Projected cost of the project