More than three million project-affected persons (PAPs) will heave a sigh of relief as the state government has decided to reconstitute the Maharashtra State Rehabilitation Authority (MSRA), which has been non-existent for the last six years. Most of these people are affected by irrigation projects.
After BJP came to power in Maharashtra, its chief spokesperson Madhav Bhandari has taken up the cause of PAPs, especially of those who have not received compensation or alternative land from the infamous Urmodi dam project in Satara district. After Bhandari met chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday, the latter said that MSRA would be reconstituted soon. The authority is headed by the chief minister himself. Fadnavis had been informed that it has been dormant for the last six years.
Bhandari also informed that there is hardly any project that has rehabilitated the PAPs or paid them proper compensation. There are over 30 lakh such people in the state. Out of this, more than 80 per cent have been affected as a result of irrigation-related projects.
There are 29 irrigation-related projects in Satara alone. Bhandari pointed out that there is not a single project in which the stipulated rehabilitation is completed. He said that same is the case in almost every district. Due to incomplete irrigation projects, Kolhapur is deprived of 10 TMC water, which being left unused for Karnataka. According to Bhandari, as per the Krishna Valley Tribunal award, Kolhapur is entitled to receive 110 TMC water.
However, since the irrigation projects are incomplete, 10 TMC water is stopped for Kolhapur and is being released for neighboring Karnataka.
Bhandari said that with Fadnavis taking an immediate decision to reconstitute MSRA, the issues of 30 lakh PAPs would be addressed and issues like incomplete irrigation projects would also come to the fore.
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