Injustice to Marathwada over backlog grants under Nagpur Pact

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

As per the Nagpur Pact, the government had decided to provide backlog grants to address Marathwada’s underdevelopment. Experts point out that Marathwada faces a shortage of 260 TMC water compared to other regions, and the only way to bridge this gap is to bring water from outside through interlinking of rivers. However, despite being aware of this fact, successive governments have hesitated to implement such projects with determination. As a result, the question remains, when will Marathwada wipe off the stigma of backwardness?

The Marathwada Jalsamruddhi Pratishthan (MJP) president Dr. Shankarrao Nagre said,” According to the Maharashtra Water and Irrigation Commission, a minimum of 3,000 cubic meters of water per hectare is required for irrigation. In reality, arbitration reports state that Maharashtra has 4,105 TMC water available, but its distribution across regions is highly uneven.

In the rest of Maharashtra, against the requirement of 987 TMC, as much as 3,091 TMC water is available (three times more). In Vidarbha, against 599 TMC required, 678 TMC is available. In Marathwada, 596 TMC water is required, but only 336 TMC is available, leaving a deficit of 260 TMC.

Dr Nagre stressed that this shortage can only be met by implementing river-linking projects. Currently, irrigation coverage is uneven across regions – Pune, Nashik, and Konkan – 32.3 pc (expected to rise to 42 pc). Vidarbha – 24.1 pc (expected to rise to 39 pc), Marathwada – only 21 pc (may rise to 25.5% with ongoing works). Thus, compared to other regions, Marathwada continues to suffer from a major irrigation backlog.

“For the past 14 years, the state government has been providing funds only to reduce Vidarbha’s backlog. So far, ₹9,148 crore has been given for Vidarbha. Now, the Painganga-Nalganga river-linking project with an estimated cost of ₹77,343 crore has also been approved. But no funds are being allocated to address Marathwada’s backlog. As a result, the irrigation backlog has increased to 6.17 lakh hectares, requiring ₹12,518 crore to resolve,” pointed out Dr Shankarrao Nagre.