Parts of Thane dist may be declared drought prone

The Maharashtra government is likely to declare six tehsils in Thane district as drought-affected after finding the crop yield per acre falling below 50 'paise'.

"Anewari (crop yield) in 884 villages in these tehsils has fallen below 50 paise, which is a criterion for declaring drought," a senior official in Thane district collectorate told PTI here today.

The reason for the fall in crop yield is attributed to heavy rains that damaged crops.

"So far, drought has not been officially declared in these tehsils but this will be in due course as the 'anewari' falling below 50 paise is the criterion for declaring drought," he said.

The affected tehsils are Jawahar, Mokhada, Shahapur, Wada, Vikramgad, and Bhiwandi, according to the official. There are 15 tehsils in the district.

Asked about relief measures to be taken by the state government, the official said, "In normal course, the district administration waives the shetsara (agro surcharge) in affected areas."

December 15 is usually the deadline across the state for authorities to compile figures about crop yields in tehsils, he said.