Pune:The opposition has alleged that cabinet ministers are unlawfully influencing water distribution decisions without adhering to standard operating procedures (SOPs) despite an announcement by chief minister Devendra Fadnavis that the state’s remaining water stock will be strictly reserved for drinking purposes until Aug next year due to severe drought conditions.The unfolding drought crisis was the central focus of a NCP(SP) meeting chaired by party chief Sharad Pawar. During the session, Pawar instructed party workers to actively hit the ground, document the severe hardships faced by residents in drought-hit regions, and aggressively pressure the govt for administrative accountability.NCP (SP) state president Shashikant Shinde stated that the mismanagement of available water stock has escalated into a major crisis across several districts. “District-level committees are legally mandated to make equitable decisions on water distribution based on actual reservoir storage. While the chief minister has set an Aug deadline to safeguard drinking water, we have observed that multiple district committees are completely flouting established SOPs during water allocation,” Shinde said.He further claimed that politically influential ministers are actively overpowering these district committees. “These ministers are manipulating decisions on water utilisation to deliberately divert higher volumes of supply to their own political constituencies. In a crisis as devastating as a drought, such partisan practices must stop immediately,” Shinde said, demanding an immediate intervention from the chief minister.Barring a few pockets, Maharashtra failed to receive adequate rainfall even during the monsoon withdrawal phase, forcing the state administration to prioritise dam storage exclusively for drinking needs. However, the opposition has sharply criticised the state govt for its delayed response to the unfolding catastrophe.Adding to the govt’s mounting challenges, Congress MLA Vishwajeet Kadam spearheaded a massive farmers’ agitation in Sangli on Monday. The protesting farmers alleged that upstream authorities in Satara district are refusing to release adequate water into the Krishna river, leaving the riverbed virtually dry as it flows through Sangli. Kadam has formally petitioned the chief minister to intervene and direct district committees to ensure a fair and balanced allocation of water across neighboring districts.
