Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai

Mumbai, Aug 7: Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has announced that the state government will roll out a comprehensive plan by the end of September to strengthen village and farm access roads, with strict measures against those obstructing the work.

The initiative, aimed at improving connectivity in rural Maharashtra, will be developed by a study group involving officials from the Revenue, Rural Development, and Employment Guarantee Scheme departments. The group will hold three meetings before submitting a final report to the cabinet.

“The plan will only succeed with active involvement of MLAs,” Bawankule said at a meeting held at the Mantralaya. He stressed that delays due to individual resistance must be addressed firmly.

Key highlights from the meeting:

• Strict penalties and legal action, including recovery of road costs and action under Section 353, were proposed for individuals obstructing road construction.
• MLA Abhimanyu Pawar and Minister Jaykumar Gore strongly supported the need for legal tools to deal with obstructionism.
• MLA Satyajit Deshmukh suggested creating a dedicated budget head for the project and exploring funding from schemes like the Employment Guarantee Scheme and District Planning Committees (DPDC).
• Land Records Commissioner Suhas Diwase proposed that access roads be documented in 7/12 extracts, assigned survey numbers, and remain under Revenue Department ownership.
• Roads should be at least 6 meters wide and usable throughout the year, said officials.
• MLA Hemant Patil called for shifting project authority from gram panchayats to tehsildars to expedite approvals and execution.

Minister Bharat Gogawale noted the project’s importance in empowering farmers, while Minister of State Ashish Jaiswal set an ambitious target: completion within two years.

The plan, once approved and funded, is expected to boost agricultural logistics, improve rural connectivity, and support economic growth in the state's hinterlands.