Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:
MP Sandipan Bhumare and former leader of opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve have urged chief minister Devendra Fadnavis not to shift the chief engineer’s office of the water resources department from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to Nanded. The leaders submitted separate representations to the chief minister and water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil.
The administration has decided to restructure the Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation. Under this decision, as many as 29 sub-divisional offices in Marathwada are proposed to be closed, while 16 sub-divisions will be merged with various offices under command area development administrators.
In addition, the office of the chief engineer of the water resources department, currently functioning at Sinchan Bhavan in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, is proposed to be shifted to Nanded. The decision has created anxiety among officers and employees working in the department, many of whom had sought transfers to Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar for their children’s education and for the medical treatment of elderly parents.
The leaders pointed out that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar is a divisional headquarters and centrally located in Maharashtra, and therefore the reason behind shifting the chief engineer’s office to Nanded is unclear.
Question over shifting offices to Nashik
Under the same proposal, two divisional offices and nine sub-divisions under four circle offices of the chief engineer are to be shifted to Nashik, while 19 sub-divisional offices are proposed to be closed.
Bhumare and Danve said these divisions play a crucial role in addressing the irrigation backlog in Marathwada, and shifting them to Nashik or closing them would amount to injustice to the region.
What is the reason behind the relocation?
In their representation, the leaders questioned the rationale behind the decision, stating that no public representatives, social organisations or farmers had demanded the closure of sub-divisions or the shifting of the chief engineer’s office to Nanded.