Pune: A day after chief minister Devendra Fadnavis assured the people of Marathwada that their future generations will not face drought, the opposition said such statements from him have been coming for 12 years without any progress on the ground.Addressing a rally in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Marathwada Liberation Day on Thursday, Fadnavis said a long-term strategy to mitigate water crisis in the region is being executed and some projects are underway to make it drought-free.Congress state chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said, “Marathwada and Vidarbha regions are already reeling under a drought-like situation but the chief minister did not make any announcement to alleviate their misery. Instead, he spoke about future plans to provide relief to the next generation which he has been talking about for the last 12 years.”Govt has directed the administration to conduct surveys of rain-deficient tehsils to chalk out a relief plan. The opposition wants drought declared at the earliest so that aid can reach the distressed.Shiv Sena (UBT) senior member Ambadas Danve said there was nothing substantial in the chief minister’s speech when the state is facing a drought-like situation. “He spoke about providing relief to the next generation but conveniently turned a blind eye to the current challenges. In Marathwada, people are dying by suicide. There have been 938 suicides in the last eight months but govt has not taken any step to provide relief to distressed farmers.”Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Friday said that a plan to tackle a drought-like situation is his govt’s top priority. He added, “The chief minister has told the administration to work full-time on the water crisis in all districts. A final report is expected in the next few days based on which a relief plan will be chalked out.”
