'State government has failed in handling drought situation'

Opposition parties in the legislative council on Tuesday took the state government to task over the mishandling of the drought situation and water shortage in many parts of the state.

Opposition parties in the legislative council on Tuesday took the state government to task over the mishandling of the drought situation and water shortage in many parts of the state.

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Starting the debate, Vinod Tawde, Opposition leader of the legislative council, said: “The state mechanism has failed completely. A CID inquiry should be initiated to get to the root of matter. Vested interests such as the water mafia are taking advantage of the situation to make money at the expense of helpless people.”

Around nine districts spanning 7,555 villages in western Maharashtra, Marathwada and north Maharashtra are facing water shortage. The overall water storage in reservoirs has reduced from 51% last year to 37% this year. Governor K Sankaranarayanan had summoned chief minister Prithviraj Chavan and top officials to take stock of the situation on Monday.

Commenting on the development, Shiv Sena member Diwakar Raote said: “Till the agriculture minister didn’t intervene, no one bothered about the situation. What kind of governance is this?”

Peasants and Workers’ Party (PWP) member Jayant Patil said: “With the prevalence of corrupt practices, the irrigation facilities have failed.”