Cops join campaign for drought-free Maharashtra

AURANGABAD: Extending their support to the campaign ‘drought-free Maharashtra’ launched by Veergaon villagers from Vaijapur taluka, around 15 police officials from Veergaon police station took the initiative to construct a cement bund on Veergaon-Nadi Nala. This is for the first time, where police are also joining a water conservation campaign in the state.
“The police team comprising 15 officials under the leadership of assistant police inspector B N Raituwar and police sub-inspector V B Sonavane constructed the earthen bund within five hours bearing all expenses. Later, the bund will be pitched with stones and plastered by cement,” said chairperson, Lokparyay NGO, Mangal Khinwasara.
She said, “The NGO has launched a ‘drought-free Maharashtra’ campaign including the participation of villagers. From the past one month the Veergaon gram panchayat and villagers were busy planning implementation of the Jal Yukt Shivar Abhiyan. They have prepared their own development plan and initially the work would be implemented in Veergaon covering eight percolation tanks constructed under the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) in1978-82.”
“The silt would be removed from these tanks to increase the storage capacity. The silt would be distributed among farmers to use it as a natural fertiliser. The plan is to implement the activity in two other villages - Nadi and Dagpimpalgaon. These villages, including Veergaon, are situated on the banks of river Godavari,” said deputy police commissioner, Vaijapur, Pandit Navasare.
“The villagers have also decided to keep a close watch on sand extraction from the river and implement a complete ban on it,” said Khinwasara.
Lokparyay activists Shataram Pandere, Sandip Thakur, Dipak Bagul, Gaurav Makasare, former sarpanch Sanjeevani Goraksh, former member of Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee, Vaijapur Haribhau Pardesi, and farmers and landless labourers have supported the campaign.