Marathwada drought will be history after water grid: Maha CM

A water grid project and lifting water from Konkan to the Godavari basin will make droughts in Marathwada "history", Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis claimed on Tuesday.

Fadnavis also made light of the outreach campaigns of the opposition NCP and Congress ahead of the Assembly polls, claiming they were receiving poor response in comparison to his 'Mahajanadesh Yatra'.

"The drought situation in Marathwada is grim," he told reporters here.

He added the government had created structures to store water in Marathwada under the 'Jalayukt Shivar' plan, but scanty rainfall in the region led to inadequate storage of water.

He said the grid project and transfer of water from Konkan to the drought-hit region will help address problems of scarcity there.

"Under the Marathwada Water Grid, dams will be inter- linked and water will be taken to villages. It will cost Rs 20,000 crore," the chief minister said.

He further said around 167 TMC (thousand million cubic feet) water from Konkan region will be lifted and transferred in the Godavari basin to address needs of Marathwada and parts of Konkan region.

"These two schemes will make Marathwada's drought history," Fadnavis said.

On NCP MP Supriya Sule's 'Sanvad' campaign, Fadnavis said, "They (the NCP) should have had launched Sanvad campaign when they were in power (from 1999 to 2014). But they did not and that's why their condition is what it is."