Focus on water conservation, not cement roads: Revenue Minister Bawankule tells officials

Amid drought conditions in the state, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has given clear instructions to district planning committees that while allocating funds, works such as cement roads and drains should be skipped in favour of drinking water and water conservation works. Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal was also present alongside Bawankule at the meeting held at the state secretariat.

All regional officials of the state attended the meeting. Besides additional chief secretaries, principal secretaries and secretaries of various departments, all divisional commissioners, district collectors and chief executive officers of zilla parishads of the state were also present.

The minister suggested that instead of cement roads, priority should be given to "Shivkalin dams" and water conservation works. It was also decided that old and defunct storage dams in every district should be revived immediately and drinking water schemes replenished. The administration has also been asked to focus on works related to the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and agriculture.

On crop damage assessment panchnamas, Bawankule gave strict and clear instructions. He said that while conducting a panchnama, the gram sevak, agriculture assistant and talathi must all be present together. Surveys should not be done only digitally but by actually visiting the fields, so that farmers are assured their names have been recorded in the panchnama. He directed that a standard operating procedure (SOP) for panchnamas be prepared, and that panchnamas already completed be placed before the gram sabha and approved as soon as possible.

With power demand rising in the state, the minister said district collectors should hold meetings with Mahavitaran officials to plan electricity supply properly. He also said anganwadis should be given power connections immediately and that engineers should remain present on the ground themselves.

Noting that drought conditions could spark public anger, Bawankule told officials that if people in drought-affected areas take out protest marches over water or any other issue, officials themselves should receive their representations and resolve matters quickly through dialogue.

Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal gave an update on rainfall and the water situation in dams across the state. He said the water stock in dams was not very low, but not ample either. The shortfall in rainfall would have a major impact on crops, and the situation would become clearer over the next two to three days. He made clear that the administration should now focus on drought and drinking water planning.

Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department Vikas Kharge gave information on uploading the digital crop survey, while Rural Development Department Secretary Chandrakant Pulkundwar supported the SOP for panchnamas and the requirement of gram sabha approval. At the meeting, all district collectors shared their views on drought mitigation measures and new projects.