Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule also called for taking over available wells for public use, completing water supply schemes that are 75% to 80% complete, repairing defunct hand pumps, and strengthening existing water sources
Pune : Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday asked district collectors to submit district-wise drought mitigation proposals within 15 days for submission to the chief minister. A survey across 305 talukas is also underway to determine which trigger-1 and trigger-2 drought criteria apply, she added.
He said drinking water tankers should be the last resort and that existing water supply schemes must be revived before shortages worsen. “The energy department must provide transformers to schemes stalled due to their absence, prioritising those that were previously operational,” he said during the meeting. On fodder management, he said the current assessment did not indicate a need for cattle camps until Dec. “Farmers should be encouraged to grow short-duration fodder crops, with rates announced and district-wise production targets set according to estimated demand,” he added. Districts with surplus fodder should supply neighbouring districts facing shortages, he said. Animal husbandry minister Pankaja Munde said water supply schemes must be operational before shortages worsen. Additional chief secretary (relief and rehabilitation) Vinita Ved Singhal said agricultural damage assessments would be completed in the coming days, enabling the state govt to submit its final proposal seeking central drought assistance by the end of Oct.
Chairing a meeting of the cabinet subcommittee on drought, Bawankule asked districts to use 15th Finance Commission funds to clear pending electricity bills for water supply schemes, while others should explore a one-time settlement scheme. The meeting also outlined that district collectors will head committees overseeing fodder planning, while the agriculture department will implement measures and animal husbandry department will monitor them. Instructions were given to the agriculture, animal husbandry, and rural development departments, along with other agencies, to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) within a week, covering cultivation through distribution. The state govt is also exploring fodder cultivation on forest department land and silted land near water bodies, besides allotting land to self-help groups for production. Agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne called for agriculture officers to collect village-level information on water and fodder availability, while fisheries and ports minister Nitesh Rane suggested supplying surplus paddy and fodder from Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, and Raigad to neighbouring districts.