India, Aug. 10 -- Residents of rural Pune and Ahilyanagar and Nashik districts staged chakka jam protests at several locations along the Pune-Nashik highway on Sunday, opposing the railways' decision to alter the proposed alignment of the Pune-Nashik semi high-speed rail project, and demanding that the original route via Sangamner be retained.

Nashik division member of legislative council (MLC) Satyajeet Tambe and Nashik member of Parliament (MP) Rajabhau Waje led the protest at Sinnar; while former Maharashtra minister and Congress leader Balasaheb Thorat spearheaded the agitation at Sangamner.

At Sinnar, the police detained Tambe after he and his supporters entered the Samruddhi expressway (e-way) to block traffic. He was released aft...