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Well, MLAs find water invite dry
IT seemed they just were not interested. About hundred MLAs were invited to a seminar on groundwater woes on Wednesday, but only one turned up. Is that a measure of how seriously people?s representatives take people?s problems? The idea of the seminar, as stated by Minor Irrigation and Ground Water Secretary, Arun Arya, was to make the MLAs aware of various dimensions of the problem so that they included projects in district plans to implement groundwater recharge schemes.
IT seemed they just were not interested. About hundred MLAs were invited to a seminar on groundwater woes on Wednesday, but only one turned up.
Is that a measure of how seriously people’s representatives take people’s problems?
The idea of the seminar, as stated by Minor Irrigation and Ground Water Secretary, Arun Arya, was to make the MLAs aware of various dimensions of the problem so that they included projects in district plans to implement groundwater recharge schemes.
Apart from Sumaru Ram, BJP MLA from Jaunpur, no other legislator took the pains to attend the seminar. There were rows of vacant chairs with the “Mananiya Vidhayak Gan” plaques on tables in the Housing Board’s conference hall.
Someone from the audience said, “They hardly have the time to spare a thought for their constituents’ problems.”
In fact, it looked from the vacant chairs, as if the MLAs had boycotted the function, cutting across party lines.
Of course the lone legislator, participating in the seminar, regretted that his colleagues did not attend it.
Minister for Minor Irrigation and Ground Water Shakir Ali also criticised the MLAs for not attending the seminar. He regretted their attitude and said that apart from the public participation, the cooperation of people’s representatives was a must to tackle the problem of falling ground water. He underlined the need for opting for crops that needed less water.
Agriculture Production Commissioner Anis Ansari laid stress on re-determination of water processing.
He said a long-term policy needed to be chalked out to solve the problem.
Speaking on ‘Strategy for Rainwater Harvesting and Ground Water Recharge in the State,’ Arun Arya said of the 820 development blocks, 141 situated in 36 districts were identified as critical as far as depleting ground water was concerned.
He said Rs 4,000 crore was required to implement rainwater harvesting and water recharge schemes in these blocks.
