#Maharashtra farmers begin Nashik-Mumbai march over demands. #Nashik #MaharashtraFarmersProtest https://t.co/ZdkO61uCRn — TOI Mumbai (@TOIMumbai) 1550678714000 Forest Rights Act: Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis assures farmers Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed that all the pending applications under the Forest Rights Act should be disposed of by March 15. MUMBAI: The farmers ' long march towards Mumbai could not start on Wednesday as planned because of the obstruction from the local police.At least 20,000 farmers, mostly tribals and landless farmers , have congregated in Nashik from different parts of the state and will camp there overnight and start walking towards Mumbai from Thursday; they were expected to reach Mumbai on February 27.Meanwhile, irrigation minister Girish Mahajan was due to meet the protesting farmers in the night to discuss their issyes."Many more farmers are joining us. They were late, because the police have obstructed them from reaching Nashik. The meeting with Mahajan will be a preliminary one and we will start walking towards Mumbai from Thursday," said Ajit Navale of the All India Kisan Sabha.This is the second such march in the last one year.More than 40,000 farmers, mainly tribals who were tilling forest land had started walking from Nashik and reached Mumbai on March 12, 2018, one of their main demands for implementation of the Forest Rights Act (FRA), under which they were to get ownership of the strip of land they have been tilling for years."This is a drought year and the problems of these marginal farmers have compounded," said Navale.The farmers will cover 180 kilometres on foot. The budget session of the Vidhan Bhavan will be in session when the march reaches Mumbai.There are 208 organisations who are supporting the March.

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