Move afoot to stop water diversion to Pawar's fief

KOLHAPUR: In a major jolt to NCP chief Sharad Pawar, Maharashtra Krishna Valley Development Corporation (MKVDC) on Wednesday sent a proposal to Maharashtra water resources department to stop diversion of additional water from Nira Deoghar canal to Baramati and Indapur. Baramati is the stronghold of Pawar and his daughter Supriya Sule is the sitting MP from there.
Top sources in MKVDC confirmed to TOI that the proposal clearly stated that the water of Nira Deoghar dam in Madha should be used exclusively for Nira command area and not be given to areas outside it. Baramati and Indapur talukas do not fall under Nira command area. Officials said the proposal was drafted following instructions from state water resources minister Girish Mahajan. Sources in MKVDC said the proposal was sent to the water resource department in the evening and a final approval was expected anytime.
The proposal assumes significance as Pawar had called on chief minister Devendra Fadnavis last week and appealed to the CM to 'rethink' if the government was considering any such move.
"The diversion of the water for Baramati and Indapur was not legal in the first place. There was a longstanding demand to correct the wrong decision taken by the previous government. People of Madha were suffering for years. Around 12 lakh people from Madha will benefit now," Ranjit Naik-Nimbalkar, BJP MP from Madha, told TOI.
Reacting to the development, Sule said: "I have not seen the proposal. As a responsible MP, I do not wish to comment on anything without reading the official proposal, but I feel that water is a very sensitive issue and it should not be politicised."