NCP leaders blame State govt

Pune: The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) on Monday staged an agitation at the District Collectorate to raise the issue of water crises and drought. The agitators, who carried out a march from Zilla Parishad Office to the Divisional Commissioner Office, blamed the State government for ignoring farmers.

NCP MP Supriya Sule and Former Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar made the allegation that the BJP government has cheated farmers in Jalyukta Shivar Abhiyan. ‘Government is claiming the success of ‘Jalyukt Shviar’, but the water level has gone down in different parts of the State.

NCP leaders, including former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar and MP Supriya Sule, led the protest march. The agitators demanded that free seeds and fertilisers should be provided to the farmers because they are suffering from a drought-like situation.

NCP demanded fodder camps, increase in rates of milk, compensation to sugarcane farmers, implementation of loan waiver scheme, payment of Rs 3.5 lakh to build wells, increase in subsidy of farm equipment, drip irrigation, greenhouse and poly house.

“The State government is neglecting farmers. They are not doing the annewari panchnama (assessment of crops) in the areas, which are suffering due to water scarcity. The government is lacking in planning and farmers are helpless,” said Pawar

Sule said, “The government spent crores of rupees on ‘Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyan’ (The project involves deepening and widening of streams, construction of cement and earthen stop dams, work on nalas and digging of farm ponds). Despite that, the farmers have to face water scarcity. That means the money has been wasted. I think the government might have used funds for their publicity.”