Token strike to release water in Jayakwadi Project from upstream dams

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Marathwada Pani Parishad (MPP) has staged a day-long token strike in front of the divisional commissionerate on Friday to press the demand of immediate releasing of Marathwada's rightful water to the Jayakwadi (Dam) Project.

Various social and industrial organisations visited the commissionerate to extend their support to the movement. The area reverberated with the shouting of slogans by agitators for water.

It may be noted that excluding Nanded and Hingoli districts, all other districts in Marathwada, had received insufficient rainfall this year. The region’s biggest reservoir has only 47 per cent storage of water in it. The quantity of water in other small and medium projects is also less. As a result, it is feared that the public may have to run helter-skelter for want of water.

MPP president Narhari Shivpure said,” The situation is worsening in Marathwada. Hence as per the government’s policy of equal distribution of water, the order to release water from upstream dams in the Jayakwadi Dam should be issued.”

The agitators also demanded the state government to declare a time-bound action programme to remove the irrigation backlog.

Water expert Shankarrao Nagare, MLA Haribhau Bagade, former MLA Kalyan Kale, Anil Patel, MLA Prashant Bamb, Dr Sarjerao Thombre, Jaisingh Hire, Dr Bhagwanrao Kapse, Sarjerao Wagh, Praving Ghuge, Pandit Shinde, Prashant Deshpande, Gopinath Wagh, Mahendra Wadgaonkar, Shivaji Bhuse, principal Salim Shaikh, Jaishree Kivlekar, Nitin Patil, Ravindra Bodke and Dinesh Parikh expressed their views on the occasion.

Support of political and social organisations

Various organisations like Marathwada Janata Vikas Parishad, MASSIA, Marathwada Vikas Yuvak Mandal, Marathwada Mukti Morcha, Mahakeshar Amba Bagayatdar Sangh along with various political parties, farmers' associations and more than hundred village panchayats extended their support to the agitation. The farmers, women, entrepreneurs, professors, teachers, lawyers, college youth from all over Marathwada participated in the agitation in large numbers.