Maharashtra govt. revokes decision on Ujani dam
An ordinance to this impact was issued by the State Water Resources Department headed by Minister Jayant Patil.
Ending weeks of unrest and farmers’ protests, the ruling Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) authorities in Maharashtra on Thursday formally scrapped the transfer to raise 5 tmc ft water from the Ujani dam in Solapur for irrigation functions in Indapur, which is a part of the Baramati Lok Sabha constituency.
An ordinance to this impact was issued by the State Water Resources Department headed by Minister Jayant Patil. The written order was formally issued by Vaijnath Chille, Deputy Secretary, State Water Resources Department.
The previous few days had witnessed vehement protests by farmers in Solapur, who opposed the diversion of the Ujani dam water to Indapur in Baramati, which is the stronghold of the Pawar clan.
According to sources, the Ujani dam water row erupted after Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief and Minister of State Dattatreya Bharne, who can also be the MLA from Indapur, determined to make use of among the dam water for his personal constituency.
Prabhakar Deshmukh, president of the Solapur-based ‘Janhit Shetkari Sanghatana’, an outfit strongly opposing the federal government’s unique transfer, had even warned the State authorities that he would lodge a police case in opposition to Mr. Patil.
Mr. Deshmukh, together with different farmers, protested at a variety of locations apart from Solapur, together with Baramati and Islampur in Sangli, the latter being Mr. Patil’s stronghold.
“Farmers in Solapur district have been cheated … We have been agitating for 16 days at Bhimanagar near Ujani Dam area to demand repeal of the ordinance which had sanctioned 5 tmc ft of water for use in Indapur taluk,” Mr. Deshmukh had mentioned earlier.
The protesters, who had been irked by the delay in issuing the brand new ordinance, had even threatened to storm Mr. Patil’s official residence.
The proposed diversion of the Ujani dam waters to Indapur noticed tempers flaring in Solapur, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claiming that water was intentionally being diverted from drought-hit Solapur to fulfill the political calls for of the NCP chief.
In reality, the federal government’s transfer was strongly resented by MVA leaders from Solapur, who considered Mr. Bharne’s plans as being doubtlessly disastrous for his or her respective constituencies. Those reported disgruntled included Praniti Shinde, the three-time Congress MLA from Solapur City Central and daughter of veteran Congressman and former Union Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, who was additionally a former Maharashtra Chief Minister.
Another upset MVA chief was Shiv Sena MLA Shahaji Patil from Sangola, who had threatened to carry a protest if the State authorities didn’t instantly revoke its decision to divert the Ujani dam water to Indapur.