Dharmendra Jore: Gadkari's charisma at stake, yet again

Did you know that Maharashtra which brags about being ahead of other states in many sectors lags much behind in a sector that could have saved it from the agrarian crisis that has killed thousands of distressed farmers over the past 15 years Yes we are second from the bottom in terms of creating an irrigation facility for our farmers and drinking water facility for all Jharkhand is the lowest in this list and Punjab tops it Whats more even the desert state of Rajasthan has created a irrigation capacity that is double the size of Maharashtras land under irritationIt is really a sad commentary on the affairs of the state that takes immense pride in its modern outlook industrial development foreign direct investment and the revenue it generates for the countrys coffersLet me tell you this piece isnt all about just farming Dam facilities for irrigation do not necessarily mean a rural issue because these do quench the everincreasing thirst of cities Drinking water is already one of the biggest problems in the 21st century Conservation innovation planning and judicious investment in creating longlasting assets is the biggest challenge as we experience climate change that has altered rain patternsThe failureWhy has Maharashtra with just 21 irrigation capacity done so badly ExCM Prithviraj Chavan did answer the question some five years ago His observation that the state could add a mere 01 capacity in 10 years and he did not know where 70000 crore went created an unprecedented battle between the Congress and the NCP which had the irrigation portfolio since 1999 The NCP leaders were subjected to corruption charges The Congress too cannot escape responsibility for it was in power for the longest periodAfter coming to power the BJP had to do probe NCP leaders further and punish them if found guilty and rectify the mistakes of the past to create more irrigation facilitiesThree years on the probes are underway The leaders who faced serious charges seem to have secured their political careers at least for now The addition of irrigation facility suffered teething problems because of what had happened to the department in the past It took some time for the BJP to settle in and focus first on completing unfinished major and medium projects CM Devendra Fadnavis concentrated on micro kind of projects such as Jalayukta Shivar which evoked a good response But it was also mired in controversy due to habitually corrupt contractorsEnter GadkariAt a time when farmers are agitated and the Fadnavis government is looking forward to creating longterm and sustainable solutions Union Minister for Water Resources Nitin Gadkari has entered the scene with a novel project under his belt The project was delayed for years Its about interlinking rivers to cater to water deficit rivers from water surplus basins It envisages interlinking 60 rivers across the countryFaced with legal challenges and difference of opinion between the states involved Maharashtra Gujarat and MP the project could be the toughest that Gadkari has handled so farMaharashtra firstGadkari has started with three interlinking projects of which two are in Maharashtra ParTapiNarmada and DamangangaPinjal will commence in the next three months He has approved an initial budget of 20000 cr for them In addition he proposed another 40000 cr assistance to the state He was immensely confident that the Union cabinet will approve his financial plans for Maharashtra without any delayDamanganga and Pinjal is important for Mumbai The linking of the two rivers will divert surplus available water from Damanganga basin to Mumbai through Pinjal reservoir A dam across Damanganga river at Bhugad bordering Valsad district of Gujarat and Nashik district of Maharashtra will be constructed while another dam will come up across Vagh river at Khargihill in Thane districtOther projects of interlinking DamangangaGodavari DamangangaVaitarnaGodavari ParGodavari and NarParGirna rivers will reduce the water scarcity in Central and Northern Maharashtra Gadkaris ministry will also assist the state in an exclusive irrigation programme for 14 farmer suicideaffected districts Gadkaris confidence is unparalleled when it comes to beating time Ranked a topper in the Modi Cabinet he is known for his bulldozing ways He has to his credit some top class infra projects such as the MumbaiPune expressway and 55 flyovers in Mumbai but that was 20 years ago What he has created in the past three years in terms of highways tunnels and bridges is just incredibleGadkari said if things fall in place then Maharashtras waterholding capacity should increase to 40 in just two years A tough task indeed But Gadkaris admirers say he could pull it off yet again To them we say AmenDharmendra Jore is political editor midday He tweets dharmendrajore Send your feedback to mailbagmiddaycom