Row over alleged release of water to CM8217;s bastion

AURANGABAD, JANUARY 4: A major controversy has erupted between the rich sugarcane growing farmers of Latur district and the minor farmers ...

AURANGABAD, JANUARY 4: A major controversy has erupted between the rich sugarcane growing farmers of Latur district and the minor farmers of the scarcity-hit Osmanabad and Beed districts with Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh allegedly ordering the release of a whopping five million cubic metres of water for his constituency, Latur, from a dam located in the neighbouring Beed district.

Though neither of the two ministers from Beed, Vimal Mundada and Jaidutt Kshirsagar both belonging to the NCP, have yet made up their mind on whether to agitate with the farmers or stand by the chief minister8217;s decision, the agitation is gaining momentum in the two districts.

The fact that there was heavy police bandobust at the dam site when the water was released on December 30 night has resulted in a widespread dissent among farmers.

Divisional Commissioner Prabhakar Kurse who actually ordered the release on December 28, based his decision on a plea by the Latur Collector who reported of a possible8217; drinking water crisis in about 20 villages in Latur tehsil.

Talking to The Indian Express, Latur Collector Rajiv Jalota said it was the Latur Zilla Parishad which alerted him of the possible crisis and requested him to take action before summer sets in.

quot;The fears in the minds of farmers from Beed are, however, unfounded as the Irrigation Department is ready with plans to meet their water requirement,8221; Jalota added.

While the water released on December 30 and January 1 had the divisional commissioner8217;s consent, officials said water released on December 10 too had his oral orders.

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Water from dams are released in the order of priority 8212; first for drinking purpose, industrial purpose and then agriculture. However, the beneficiaries are largely believed to be the rich sugarcane growing farmers from the CM8217;s constituency.

Interestingly, the Manjra Cooperative Sugar Factory, headed by the CM, is one of the most successful of its kind in the State and pays as much as Rs 1,100 per tonne of sugarcane which is almost double than what most other factories can afford to.

Ironically, most of the 10,000 hectares of land acquired to build the Dhanegaon-Manjra dam falls in Beed and Osmanabad districts. But the major share of water is enjoyed by Latur farmers.

Farmers believe that the unusual hurry that officials showed in releasing water was basically to protect the sugarcane standing in the fields under the Manjra Sugar Factory area.

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Due to excess sugarcane production in the area, the crushing season of the factory is most likely to get extended, reliable sources said. If the sugarcane is to survive so long it would definitely need water, farmers said.

There is certainly no mechanism to ensure that villagers use the released water in the river exclusively for drinking purpose and not agriculture.