Bizarre: Solapur collector calls for burning tyres, twigs from latex producing trees to produce artificial rain

In a bizarre move, the Solapur district collector issued a verbal diktat to tehsildars to burn rubber tyres, along with twigs from latex-producing trees in a bid to produce artificial rain, the Times of India reported.

The move has enraged environmentalists, prompting the collector to withdraw his order, the report added.

Rajendra Bhonsale, the district collector, had issued the directive to produce artificial rain after the district only received 35% of its average rainfall.

However, scientists informed Bhonsale that the burning of tyres released noxious gasses such as cyanide, carbon monoxide, Sulphur dioxide and has even been banned by the NGT, the report added.

However, the collector maintains that he issued the directive after consulting with an IIT scientist, who ‘assured’ him that it was a ‘tried and tested’ formula.