Satish Jarkiholi, Belagavi district in-charge Minister, has told all officials at the district, taluk and village levels to focus on resolving the drinking water problem in all habitations.
During a review of drought relief work in the Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi on November 17, he told officials to ensure that water is provided to every habitation, irrespective of the population.
“All the officers should convene drinking water task force meetings in their jurisdiction. Apart from coming up with a relevant plan to provide water to all habitations, they should monitor all work, including long pending water supply works.
“Some years ago, we had issued orders to all gram panchayats to equip themselves to handle water scarcity, and to purchase a water tanker, if it does not already have one. All the gram panchayats should procure their own water tanker. Zilla panchayat should initiate action against gram panchayat officers who do not purchase a water tanker,’’ Satish Jarkiholi said.
“However, in providing drinking water to human beings, you should not neglect animals. All officials should ensure that fodder is received in all villages and hamlets. Each village should be treated as a block, and officers should ensure there is enough fodder for the scarcity months,” he said.
Deputy Commissioner Nitesh Patil clarified that the district administration had banned transport and export of fodder from Belagavi to other districts and regions.
The Minister wants MNREGA to be properly implemented and all labourers be provided jobs. He told officials to see that MNREGA work is aimed at creating permanent assets, like water bodies, forest conservation, animal and fish houses, and horticulture and perennial plantations.
He told officers of various departments to work in tandem to see that all Jal Jeevan Mission projects are completed in the scheduled time. “At the same time, quality of work should be maintained,” he said.
The Minister symbolically distributed seed kits to some farmers.
Mr. Patil said that the district administration had ₹32 crore for drought relief, including the ₹22.5 crore released by the State Government recently.
The DC said that the government had declared all taluks as drought hit. The low rainfall had led to crop damage of around ₹422 crore, as per NDRF norms. Soil moisture had reduced, but there is no dearth of seeds or fertilisers. A total of 3.5 lakh hectares agriculture crop and 11,814 hectares of horticulture crops were damaged. Officers have been told to hold drinking water task force meetings in all Assembly constituencies, under the chairmanship of MLAs.
Harshal Boyer, zilla panchayat CEO, said that a proposal of ₹35 crore for repair of borewells and tanker supply had been forwarded to the State Government. All assistant commissioners in the sub-divisions have been told to ensure that water in tanks and ponds be used only for drinking.
“Every summer, Maharashtra releases water from its reservoirs to ease drinking water scarcity in northern Karnataka. This year, however, due to the early onset of water scarcity, there is a need to discuss this issue at the level of officers,” the CEO said.
Rajya Sabha member Iranna Kadadi told officials to provide proper land related documents to farmers who had lost their property in land acquisition proceedings.
Superintendent of Police Bheema Shankar Guled responded to a concern by MLAs Vishwas Vaidya about a rise in theft of irrigation pump sets along the Krishna river bank, saying investigation is under way and vigilance has being stepped up.
