Jalgaon farmers stand in Girna river for 30 hours for water diversion scheme

Nashik: Farmers in Jalgaon stood in the Girna river for 30 hours, demanding that Centre and state immediately take a firm decision on the proposed Nar Par Girna water diversion scheme in the interest of the irrigation-deficit region.Led by former MP Jalgaon Unmesh Patil, who is a senior functionary of Shiv Sena (UBT), the farmers under the banner of Nar Par Girna Sangharsha Kriti Samiti staged an agitation and stood in the river (in batches) at Mehunbarhe village since 10am on Friday. The agitation was called off at 4pm on Saturday after the district administration assured them of a secretary-level meeting within a fortnight on the issue."Our agitation is not political in nature, but in the interest of the region that is irrigation-deficit. Our demand is that govt should take immediate steps and make budgetary provisions to start the work for diversion of water from west-flowing rivers into the Girna," Patil said.The former MP claimed that govt has prepared a water network, with a capacity of 11 TMC, to provide water to irrigate over 2 lakh acres of land through the Girna project."In the past 55 years, the dam has filled to the brim only 11 times. This means that there is a severe irrigation deficit in the region and as such Centre should have approved the project and provided funds to Maharashtra to tap the water from west-flowing rivers — Nar and Par — by constructing a series of dams, channels, canals, tunnels etc. to store, and then divert water to the Girna river across the hills by gravity, thus providing water to over 50 lakh people residing in two corporations areas and eight municipal councils covering over 700 villages," he said.Patil also criticised state govt for issuing a letter from the governor's office saying that the ‘Nar Par' scheme had been sanctioned. "There is no budgetary provision for the scheme and neither a formal approval has been accorded to it. We believe state govt alone cannot foot the expenses for the project and, therefore, we will have to seek funds from Centre," said Patil.