Pune: Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday asked district collectors to submit district-wise drought mitigation proposals within 15 days for submission to the chief minister. He said drinking water tankers should be the last resort and that existing water supply schemes must be revived before shortages worsen.Chairing a meeting of the cabinet subcommittee on drought, Bawankule asked districts to use 15th Finance Commission funds to clear pending electricity bills for water supply schemes, while others should explore a one-time settlement scheme. “The energy department must provide transformers to schemes stalled due to their absence, prioritising those that were previously operational,” he said during the meeting.He also called for taking over available wells for public use, completing water supply schemes that are 75% to 80% complete, repairing defunct hand pumps, and strengthening existing water sources. “A tanker app and GPS tracking system must be operational to monitor distribution before tanker supplies begin,” he told collectors.On fodder management, he said the current assessment did not indicate a need for cattle camps until Dec. However, districts must assess fodder availability and identify areas likely to face shortages.“Farmers should be encouraged to grow short-duration fodder crops, with rates announced and district-wise production targets set according to estimated demand,” he added. The meeting also outlined that district collectors will head committees overseeing fodder planning, while the agriculture department will implement measures and animal husbandry department will monitor them. Instructions were given to the agriculture, animal husbandry, and rural development departments, along with other agencies, to prepare a standard operating procedure (SOP) within a week, covering cultivation through distribution. Districts with surplus fodder should supply neighbouring districts facing shortages, he said. The state govt is also exploring fodder cultivation on forest department land and silted land near water bodies, besides allotting land to self-help groups for production.Animal husbandry minister Pankaja Munde said water supply schemes must be operational before shortages worsen. Agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne called for agriculture officers to collect village-level information on water and fodder availability, while fisheries and ports minister Nitesh Rane suggested supplying surplus paddy and fodder from Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri, and Raigad to neighbouring districts.To accelerate water conservation, Bawankule asked officials to identify water bodies near ongoing road projects so excavated murum (hard soil) could be used for road construction. Desilting and repairs of lakes and reservoirs will be prioritised, with the fisheries department assisting in the work. Orders would be issued to ensure funds for drought-related works are made available through district planning committees.Additional chief secretary (relief and rehabilitation) Vinita Ved Singhal said agricultural damage assessments would be completed in the coming days, enabling the state govt to submit its final proposal seeking central drought assistance by the end of Oct. A survey across 305 talukas is also underway to determine which trigger-1 and trigger-2 drought criteria apply, she added.
