Rohit Pawar leads four-hour highway blockade at Bhimanagar against Ujani AI data centre

Anger among farmers and fishermen over the proposed AI data centre and other energy projects in the Ujani dam area spilled onto the road at Bhimanagar on Saturday (the 31st). A rasta roko protest led by MLA Rohit Pawar was held on the Pune-Solapur national highway, and traffic remained at a standstill for about four hours.

Thousands of farmers, fishermen and all-party leaders from Indapur, Madha, Karmala, Karjat and Daund talukas took part. The blockade began at 10 am. Long queues of vehicles built up on both sides of the highway, and commuters faced considerable hardship. Pune and Solapur district police had made arrangements to prevent any disturbance.

Besides the AI data centre, nuclear power, green hydrogen, battery storage and solar energy projects are proposed in the Ujani dam area. Local residents fear these will affect the use of Ujani's water, farming, the environment and fishermen's livelihoods. Against this background, the Bhimanagar protest drew a strong, spontaneous turnout.

Leaders of several parties shared the stage. They included former minister Mahadevrao Jankar, MP Dhairyasheel Mohite-Patil, MLAs Abhijit Patil and Narayan Patil, Legislative Council member Pratapsinh Mohite-Patil and former MLA Sanjay Shinde. Office-bearers of various political parties were also present. The demands were that farming dependent on Ujani's water be protected, fishermen's livelihoods be looked after, and no project proceed without taking local people into confidence.

Pawar took a firm stand against the project. He said, "Ujani is our lifeline. We will not let this project come up here under any circumstances, without taking farmers and fishermen into confidence, by running a plough over their land."

Meanwhile, the Additional Collector of Solapur reached the protest site. He accepted the protesters' memorandum and assured them that no further action would be taken on the project without taking farmers and fishermen into confidence. The protest was then called off at 2.30 pm.

The administration's assurance has brought the agitation to a pause for now, but questions over Ujani's water, the future of farming, local employment and the environment remain. People in the area are therefore watching what stand the state government takes on these projects.