Govt to inaugurate 1,423 check dams in Western Maha on Sunday

Even as the BJP has alleged that the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions were being sidelined as far as drought relief measures were concerned, Maharashtra government today said 1,423 new concrete check dams would be inaugurated in Western Maharashtra region on Sunday.
These concrete check dams and nalla bunds would be simultaneously inaugurated in the drought-affected areas of Western Maharashtra on Sunday, minister for Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and Water Conservation, Nitin Raut told reporters here today.
"Taking lessons from this year's drought situation in the state, government had decided to construct the check dams. It will help raise the ground water level," Raut said.

In the first phase, the check dams were constructed in the districts of Pune, Satara, Solapur, Ahmednagar and Sangli, all in Western Maharashtra, the minister said, adding "Only one taluka from Osmanabad district in Marathwada region, has been selected in the first phase."
According to Raut, the government decided to follow the Groundwater Surveys and Development Agency's (GSDA) report submitted in October 2011, which recommends construction of nalla bunds/check dams to raise the ground water-level.
"Water level in Bhum taluka in Osmanabad fell after it was selected for the nalla bund work," he added.

The state government has spent Rs 148 crore on construction of these nalla bunds. Around 5,692 hectares of area will come under irrigation, Raut said.

While Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will inaugurate a check dam in Satara, Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar will inaugurate one in Purandar taluka in Pune district.
Opposition BJP had earlier alleged that ruling Congress government discriminated in distribution of drought relief fund in the state and granted 80 per cent of total allocation to "politically significant" western Maharashtra, instead of the parched Marathwada region.
Western Maharshtra has the largest number of sugar factories in the state, which are controlled by powerful politicians mostly from the Congress and NCP.