Demand to declare wet drought

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: In Marathwada, excessive rainfall over the past three months has damaged crops and orchards spread across 16 lakh hectares. Thousands of cattle have perished, and hundreds of people have lost their lives. Farm bunds have been washed away, causing immense suffering to farmers and agriculture. Ramesh Gaikwad, founder-president of the Marathwada Bahujan Vikas Aghadi, on Tuesday demanded in a press conference that the government declare a wet drought in the region and provide compensation of ₹10 lakh per hectare to farmers. Water expert Nitin Patil-Khodegaonkar and others were present on the occasion.

Gaikwad said, “The Chief Minister canceled the cabinet meeting scheduled for Marathwada, which is an injustice to the region. The package announced two years ago has still not been implemented in full as per the provisions. The government is repeatedly neglecting the region. The backlog in irrigation has increased, reaching over ₹39,000 crore. On September 17, we will meet Chief Minister Fadnavis and submit a memorandum regarding various demands of the region.”