Separate policy of autonomy & raising funds for Mahamandals: Radhakrishna Patil

plan to promote tourism

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sabhajinagar:

“To reduce the dependence on the State government for funds, the corporations (Mahamandals) of the Water Resources Department (WRD) will be made autonomous. A committee has been formed to carry out this process,” said Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, the Water Resources Minister.

He was talking to the journalists on Thursday after holding a meeting of the regulatory authority of Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development at Sinchan Bhavan. The minister chaired the meeting.

Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Resources Department (WRD) Deepak Kapoor, WRD Secretary Sanjay Belsare, Executive Director Santosh Tirmanwar, Chief Engineer Prakash Misal, Jayant Gawli and Superintending Engineer Rajendra Dhodapkar were present at the meeting.

Vikhe Patil said that the Chief Minister had given a boost to river linking projects for Marathwada, which would increase the irrigation capacity in the coming days.

“Canal repair works are proposed. There is a plan to deliver water to the fields through cement pipes at the distributor level. Revised administrative approval was given to the Charutanda tank project. Due to this tank, about 680 hectares of area in Soyegaon will come under irrigation,” he said.

Box

Floating solar panels on all dams

He said that if the WRD corporations (Mahamandals) are made autonomous, efforts would be made to increase funds by utilising their available resources.

"An independent tourism development policy of the corporation will be implemented. Tourism will be promoted by developing tourist places in the benefit area of the dam, the backwater area. Floating solar will be installed on all the dams in the State to generate electricity. Development of Sant Dnyaneshwar Udyan in Paithan, Sukali and Digras projects in Hingoli district will be completed in two years,” he added.