Industrialists; MLAs join hands to get rightful share of water to Marathwada

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The water experts, industrialists and MLAs from Marathwada have joined hands to form a joint action committee to raise voice against proposed construction of two dams (on upper stream in Jayakwadi Dam) in Nashik district and get rightful share of water to the region.

The meeting was held this evening in the office of Marathwada Association of Small Scale Industries and Agriculture (MASSIA) at Chikalthana MIDC.

Earlier, the High Court, the Maharashtra Water Resources Authority and the State Government have issued orders prohibiting construction of any dam on the upper stream of Jayakwadi Project. Despite this, the construction of two dams have been proposed in Nashik district.

Industrialists, retired officials and former minister Rajesh Tope were in the meeting. Retired Director of Godavari Irrigation Development Corporation (GIDC) Dr Shankar Nagare through a presentation stated that there was a target to bring 2.75 lakh hectares of land under irrigation through Jayakwadi Project, but it remained a dream due to the absence of adequate quantity of water. Besides, Jayakwadi Project is receiving an average of 33 percent less water due to blocking of water by constructing small and big dams in Nashik district.

Marathwada’s 14 sugar factories and different industrial estates of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna MIDC and other cities are dependent for water on Jayakwadi Dam.

Hence it was decided to form a committee comprising two MLAs from each district of Marathwada; office-bearers of industries associations and water experts. The first official meeting of the committee will be held before the cabinet meeting. The committee office-bearers will meet the chief minister and the deputy chief minister and urge to stop the two dams and will also file a contempt petition in the court.

The industrialist Mukund Kulkarni, MASSIA president Anil Patil, Rahul Mogle, B S Khose, Sachin Gayake, Manish Agarwal, Dr. R M Damgir, engineer Jaisingh Hire, Mahendra Wadgaonkar, Sarjerao Wagh, Rajesh Hundekar, R I Pulkundwar, former corporator Jayashree Kivlekar and others were present in today’s preliminary meeting.