Marathwada (Maharashtra) [India]: Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar faction MLA and former state minister Rajesh Tope said that a request letter was written to Chief Minister Eknath Shinde regarding the release of water from the reservoir of the upper Godavari valley dam into the Jayakwadi dam to address the acute water shortage in the region.
The former state minister took to X on Sunday and said, “Today at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, a request statement was given to the Chief Minister Eknath ji Shinde, regarding the release of water from the reservoir of the upper Godavari valley dam group into the Jayakwadi dam.”
The former state minister also said that Marathwada is likely to continue protests by the Marathwada Pani Parishad (MPP), an umbrella body representing water rights activists and farmers.
He also announced that a similar protest will be held outside the premises of the the Godavari Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation (GMIDC) office on Monday.
Speaking to ANI on the water issue in Marathwada, Tope said, “We have absolutely all rights to demand the release of water in Marathwada. It is our right that the water be released to the people of the region. The order for the release of water was issued on October 30, but it has not been released yet.”
“Some top officials in the municipal corporation are maintaining pressure on the issue due to which the water is not being released. The government is watching that the orders issued are not being followed but is still not taking any action,” he added.
“We met Chief Minister Shinde today and presented him with a request letter for the release of the water in the Jayakwadi dam, he assured us that he will look into the matter and will take a decision on the situation soon,” Tope said further.
Earlier this week, water rights activist Narhari Shivpure of MPP spoke on the issue and said, “There is no water release for Jayakwadi dam despite an official order issued on October 30 and different courts refusing a stay on it. The people of Marathwada cannot remain silent anymore to the injustice caused by the government and it’s a battle for now or never.”
Elected representatives from the Parbhani district also raised their voices against the alleged inordinate delay in the release of water.
The GMIDC had ordered the release of 8.6 TMC water for the Jayakwadi dam on October 30 but no discharge has taken place yet allegedly due to political pressure.
Senior GMIDC officials refused to elaborate on the reasons behind the delay in water release but stated that they were still awaiting a nod from the state government for allowing the release of water into the Jayakwadi dam from Nashik and other upstream areas.
