Kolhapur farmers, united under the name of the Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna, held a Gandhigiri protest in Sangli district, felicitating the contractor and railway engineer for the delay in the completion of the underpass between Amnapur and Yelawi villages.
According to the farmers, the railway underpass work (at Gate 115) has been ongoing for the past three months, creating significant disruption in everyday movement between the two villages.
Sandip Nazare, a farmer from Amnapur, stated, “The job is being carried out at an incredibly poor speed by the railway contractor. Because there is no other option, locals must travel a very long route to reach Yelawi, which is ordinarily fairly close. Due to significant pre-monsoon rain, the underpass is now flooded, and transportation between Yelavi and Amnapur village has come to a standstill. Farmers are unable to engage in pre-monsoon agricultural activity."
Farmers organized a Gandhigiri rally in front of the railway administration, protesting the closure of the Amnapur route for more than three months owing to delays in the underpass construction. The farmers garlanded the railway contractor and Miraj's assistant divisional engineer, who had come to the crossing for a visit, to show their discontent.
"Railways started this construction three months ago without considering the geographical condition of the location," said Nitin Patil, a member of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana. There was no other route available, and the challenges experienced by local villagers were not taken into account. The underpass has been blocked from traffic for many days due to rain.
There are roughly four to five feet of waterlogging there. Farmers are unable to carry out tillage and other pre-monsoon operations since there is no alternative road accessible. The contractor is delaying the job despite numerous requests. We had a Gandhigiri-style demonstration on Friday evening, but the agitation will be more severe next time."
In the meantime, the railway contractor and engineer have guaranteed the farmers that the project would be completed shortly.
