LoP in the Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde, demanded, through an adjournment motion, that the government announce a compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare (Express photo by Amit Chakravarty/ File)Proceedings in the state Legislative Council were briefly adjourned twice on Monday with the Opposition parties creating a ruckus over their demands for drought relief measures to be implemented across the state and seeking tabling of reports on the Maratha and Dhangar community reservation.
Legislative Council Chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar directed the government to call for an all-party meeting on Tuesday morning and find an acceptable solution to clear the logjam.
The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Dhananjay Munde, of the NCP, demanded, through an adjournment motion, that the government announce a compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare for crop losses and Rs 1 lakh per hectare for losses suffered by orchard owners. “Discussions on drought and depleting water levels can happen later. But immediate relief measures are needed. We will not let the council function till this is done,” said Munde.
He added that on the one hand Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has asked the Maratha community to be prepared for a celebration on December 1 and on the other, police were arresting protesters for planning an agitation on Monday. The report of the State Backward Class Commission for Maratha reservation and the report of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences on reservation for the Dhangar community were submitted to the government but they have not been tabled in the House, Munde added.
Responding to the Opposition, Leader of the House Chandrakant Patil said the government has almost finalised eight drought relief measures, including getting water tankers, and the pending ones would be finalised immediately. He added that the government has already sent a proposal to the Centre to seek assistance for drought relief work. But the relief measures are being taken up without waiting for the Union government’s response.
Patil, the state’s revenue minister, said the government had requested the Maratha protesters not to go ahead with their agitation on Monday, keeping in mind the importance of the 10th anniversary of the 26/11 terror attack.
“We will be tabling the Maratha Reservation Bill in the House this week. Hence, we have told them that there is no need for an agitation at all. Since we are tabling the Bill, there is no compulsion to table an Action Taken Report (ATR),” he added.
The House was adjourned twice following uproar by the Opposition, before being adjourned for the day.
