Maharashtra sets November 20 deadline to clear water scarcity dues
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule directed officials to settle outstanding payments for well acquisitions to prevent potential refusal by farmers.
The Maharashtra government has set a November 20 deadline to settle pending bills for water-scarcity works, according to Urban Acres. This follows warnings from farmers that they might refuse to allow the acquisition of their wells for emergency water supply if unpaid bills are not cleared.
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who leads the state cabinet subcommittee on drought mitigation, has ordered officials to pay dues from the last two years. The subcommittee also approved measures to tackle shortages of fodder and drinking water, protect horticultural crops, and speed up incomplete Jal Jeevan Mission projects.
A review indicated that approximately 75 per cent of Jal Jeevan Mission works are finished. Officials were told to accelerate the remaining work and immediately provide at least Rs 500 crore for schemes costing under Rs 5 crore each.
To manage resources, divisional commissioners and district collectors must coordinate moving fodder from surplus districts to those in need. Farmers on silt-deposited land are now permitted to grow gram, maize, and jowar.
The subcommittee also decided to create a special standard operating procedure to provide Central and state scheme benefits to four to five lakh farming families not officially recorded as landholders. Additionally, a high-level committee led by Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal will examine a proposal to increase wages for workers under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission, with a resolution expected within 10 days.
Bawankule requested a detailed report by November 15 to identify more talukas that may require drought-hit status. This assessment could add 13 more talukas to the existing list of 13 drought-affected areas.