Start Closed Water Supply Schemes Immediately; Tankers Should Be the Last Resort –Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule

Xtreme News India   14-10-2026 22:09:54   580932982

Start Closed Water Supply Schemes Immediately; Tankers Should Be the Last Resort –Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule

Mumbai (Mantralaya Correspondent) - Water supply schemes that have been shut down in certain drought-affected talukas of the state due to pending electricity bills or the unavailability of transformers must be restarted immediately. District-wise proposals for drought mitigation measures should be sought from district collectors within the next 15 days and the necessary action taken to submit them to the Chief Minister. Tankers should be considered the last resort for providing drinking water, and all other possible measures must be examined before resorting to them, Revenue Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Drought Management Chandrashekhar Bawankule directed.

At a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Drought Management held at Sahyadri Guest House, Minister Bawankule reviewed the measures being undertaken by various departments.

He directed the concerned districts to utilise funds available under the Fifteenth Finance Commission to clear pending electricity bills. Other districts should be instructed to clear their outstanding bills through the one-time settlement scheme. The Energy Department should provide transformers wherever water supply schemes have been shut down due to their unavailability. Priority should be given to restoring electricity connections to previously operational schemes and restarting them at the earliest, he said.

To address water scarcity before the drinking water situation becomes critical, wells with adequate water availability should be acquired for public use. Water supply schemes that are 75 to 80 per cent complete should be completed on a priority basis. Defective hand pumps must be repaired immediately, and efforts should focus on strengthening water sources.

Furthermore, before deploying water tankers, a tanker management app and GPS-based tracking system should be introduced to ensure proper and uninterrupted water supply. The Chief Secretary should hold an online meeting with district collectors and guide them on these measures, Minister Bawankule said.

Considering the current situation in the state, there is unlikely to be a need to establish fodder camps until December. However, a district-wise assessment should be conducted, and fodder crops that can be harvested within a short period should be cultivated in districts where an urgent shortage may arise.

Farmers should be encouraged to grow fodder crops that can be cultivated at a lower cost, and support prices for such crops should be announced. The requirement and availability of fodder should be assessed, district-wise production targets should be established, and appropriate directions issued accordingly, he said.

The authority to plan and manage fodder supplies should be entrusted to district collectors, with committees formed under their chairmanship. The Agriculture Department should function as the implementing department, while the Animal Husbandry Department should supervise the work.

Both departments, in coordination with the Rural Development Department and all other concerned departments, should prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) within one week. The SOP should cover the entire process, from fodder cultivation to its distribution.

Arrangements should also be made to supply fodder from districts with surplus stocks to neighbouring districts facing shortages. Fodder cultivation should be planned on Forest Department land and on silt-rich land near water sources. The possibility of providing land to self-help groups for fodder production should also be explored, Minister Bawankule instructed.

To accelerate water conservation works, murum (lateritic soil material) from nearby water sources should be utilised for ongoing road construction projects across the state. Water sources located alongside roads should be identified for this purpose.

Priority should be determined for desilting and repairing lakes and ponds, and assistance should be sought from the Fisheries Department for desilting operations. The Chief Secretary should also convene a meeting with representatives of relevant companies to explore the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for drought mitigation measures, Minister Bawankule directed.

Minister Pankaja Munde said that water supply schemes must be made operational before the state's water situation deteriorates. Pending electricity bills should be cleared to restart these schemes. Efforts must also be made to ensure that farmers receive adequate supplies of fodder, water and food grains.

Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane said that agricultural officers across the state possess detailed information about fodder and water availability in individual villages. Collecting and compiling this information would prove beneficial in planning drought mitigation measures.

Minister Nitesh Rane said that paddy crops and other fodder resources were available in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigad districts. The possibility of supplying this fodder to neighbouring districts should be explored.

Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that orders would be issued to ensure the availability of funds for drought mitigation works through District Planning Committees.

Additional Chief Secretary of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department Vinita Ved Singhal informed the meeting that all drought-related assessments and panchnamas being conducted by the Agriculture Department would be completed within the next few days. Once these assessments are completed, the final situation will become clear, and the final proposal seeking drought assistance from the Central Government will be prepared by the end of October.

She also said that a survey was underway across 305 talukas in the state to determine which criteria under Trigger-1 and Trigger-2 were applicable.

Those present at the meeting included Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan; Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane; Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Jadhav Patil; Animal Husbandry Minister Pankaja Munde; Soil and Water Conservation Minister Sanjay Rathod; Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil; Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil; Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane; Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore; Minister of State Adv. Ashish Jaiswal; Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal; Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department Manisha Mhaiskar; Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Abha Shukla; Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department Vikas Chandra Rastogi; Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department Vikas Kharge; Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Supply Department Parag Jain-Nainutia; Principal Secretary of the Cooperation and Marketing Department Pravin Darade; Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department Eknath Dawale; Agriculture Secretary Parimal Singh; Animal Husbandry Secretary N. Ramaswamy; Rural Development Secretary Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar; and Water Conservation Secretary Jitendra Papalkar, among other senior officials.Start Closed Water Supply Schemes Immediately; Tankers Should Be the Last Resort –Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule

Mumbai (Mantralaya Correspondent) - Water supply schemes that have been shut down in certain drought-affected talukas of the state due to pending electricity bills or the unavailability of transformers must be restarted immediately. District-wise proposals for drought mitigation measures should be sought from district collectors within the next 15 days and the necessary action taken to submit them to the Chief Minister. Tankers should be considered the last resort for providing drinking water, and all other possible measures must be examined before resorting to them, Revenue Minister and Chairman of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Drought Management Chandrashekhar Bawankule directed.

At a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Drought Management held at Sahyadri Guest House, Minister Bawankule reviewed the measures being undertaken by various departments.

He directed the concerned districts to utilise funds available under the Fifteenth Finance Commission to clear pending electricity bills. Other districts should be instructed to clear their outstanding bills through the one-time settlement scheme. The Energy Department should provide transformers wherever water supply schemes have been shut down due to their unavailability. Priority should be given to restoring electricity connections to previously operational schemes and restarting them at the earliest, he said.

To address water scarcity before the drinking water situation becomes critical, wells with adequate water availability should be acquired for public use. Water supply schemes that are 75 to 80 per cent complete should be completed on a priority basis. Defective hand pumps must be repaired immediately, and efforts should focus on strengthening water sources.

Furthermore, before deploying water tankers, a tanker management app and GPS-based tracking system should be introduced to ensure proper and uninterrupted water supply. The Chief Secretary should hold an online meeting with district collectors and guide them on these measures, Minister Bawankule said.

Considering the current situation in the state, there is unlikely to be a need to establish fodder camps until December. However, a district-wise assessment should be conducted, and fodder crops that can be harvested within a short period should be cultivated in districts where an urgent shortage may arise.

Farmers should be encouraged to grow fodder crops that can be cultivated at a lower cost, and support prices for such crops should be announced. The requirement and availability of fodder should be assessed, district-wise production targets should be established, and appropriate directions issued accordingly, he said.

The authority to plan and manage fodder supplies should be entrusted to district collectors, with committees formed under their chairmanship. The Agriculture Department should function as the implementing department, while the Animal Husbandry Department should supervise the work.

Both departments, in coordination with the Rural Development Department and all other concerned departments, should prepare a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) within one week. The SOP should cover the entire process, from fodder cultivation to its distribution.

Arrangements should also be made to supply fodder from districts with surplus stocks to neighbouring districts facing shortages. Fodder cultivation should be planned on Forest Department land and on silt-rich land near water sources. The possibility of providing land to self-help groups for fodder production should also be explored, Minister Bawankule instructed.

To accelerate water conservation works, murum (lateritic soil material) from nearby water sources should be utilised for ongoing road construction projects across the state. Water sources located alongside roads should be identified for this purpose.

Priority should be determined for desilting and repairing lakes and ponds, and assistance should be sought from the Fisheries Department for desilting operations. The Chief Secretary should also convene a meeting with representatives of relevant companies to explore the use of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) funds for drought mitigation measures, Minister Bawankule directed.

Minister Pankaja Munde said that water supply schemes must be made operational before the state's water situation deteriorates. Pending electricity bills should be cleared to restart these schemes. Efforts must also be made to ensure that farmers receive adequate supplies of fodder, water and food grains.

Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane said that agricultural officers across the state possess detailed information about fodder and water availability in individual villages. Collecting and compiling this information would prove beneficial in planning drought mitigation measures.

Minister Nitesh Rane said that paddy crops and other fodder resources were available in Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigad districts. The possibility of supplying this fodder to neighbouring districts should be explored.

Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said that orders would be issued to ensure the availability of funds for drought mitigation works through District Planning Committees.

Additional Chief Secretary of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department Vinita Ved Singhal informed the meeting that all drought-related assessments and panchnamas being conducted by the Agriculture Department would be completed within the next few days. Once these assessments are completed, the final situation will become clear, and the final proposal seeking drought assistance from the Central Government will be prepared by the end of October.

She also said that a survey was underway across 305 talukas in the state to determine which criteria under Trigger-1 and Trigger-2 were applicable.

Those present at the meeting included Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan; Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane; Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Jadhav Patil; Animal Husbandry Minister Pankaja Munde; Soil and Water Conservation Minister Sanjay Rathod; Water Supply Minister Gulabrao Patil; Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil; Fisheries and Ports Minister Nitesh Rane; Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore; Minister of State Adv. Ashish Jaiswal; Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal; Additional Chief Secretary of the Home Department Manisha Mhaiskar; Additional Chief Secretary of the Energy Department Abha Shukla; Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department Vikas Chandra Rastogi; Additional Chief Secretary of the Revenue Department Vikas Kharge; Additional Chief Secretary of the Water Supply Department Parag Jain-Nainutia; Principal Secretary of the Cooperation and Marketing Department Pravin Darade; Principal Secretary of the Water Resources Department Eknath Dawale; Agriculture Secretary Parimal Singh; Animal Husbandry Secretary N. Ramaswamy; Rural Development Secretary Dr. Chandrakant Pulkundwar; and Water Conservation Secretary Jitendra Papalkar, among other senior officials.