More than 90 lakh people in India have been affected by drought. Poor rainfall has been attributed to this condition. Of course, its easy to blame nature. The major effect it seems to be in one of the most prosperous states of India, Maharashtra. But the whole response to drought with long, meaning less notations of sympathy is suffocating. It almost makes you feel like puking listening to heroics of those who are pumping in crores of public money to ferry water to these regions. Here is why -
The media is all gung - ho about the drought and misery. It makes good story. It gives a nice PR opportunity for celebrities. In all this, the truth remains buried in plain sight.
In the year 2002, in an economic survey stated that 70,000 crore rupees were spent in Maharashtra in ten years. Shockingly however the irrigation potential of state rose only 0.1%. The people of Maharashtra it seems spent 70,000 crore plus on irrigation and still don't have a sound irrigation system to tide them over drought. Still they stood rock solid behind their government.
Even when a government employee came out to accuse the government of what was believed to be a 35000 crore irrigation scam, the people chose to disbelieve him. It was clear according to citizens, the money was all there and well spent.
And now they dont have any water. Lakhs of crores spent on irrigation development, they want brother taxpayer to pump more lakhs of crores as there is still no water. Point is till when.
Till when will middle class tax payers shell out money on projects which yield no results. If people of Maharashtra believe that there politicians and leaders are as clean as a whistle then should we go ahead and send tanker full of trains when there is no water in fields? Or our natural reaction be to pad lock cricket stadiums, call in helicopter full of politicians and increase tax burden of the middle class?
Or we can just chop down more trees and clear out more jungle for our so called dream projects. Water is only important for discussions and shenanigans.
The media is all gung - ho about the drought and misery. It makes good story. It gives a nice PR opportunity for celebrities. In all this, the truth remains buried in plain sight.
In the year 2002, in an economic survey stated that 70,000 crore rupees were spent in Maharashtra in ten years. Shockingly however the irrigation potential of state rose only 0.1%. The people of Maharashtra it seems spent 70,000 crore plus on irrigation and still don't have a sound irrigation system to tide them over drought. Still they stood rock solid behind their government.
Even when a government employee came out to accuse the government of what was believed to be a 35000 crore irrigation scam, the people chose to disbelieve him. It was clear according to citizens, the money was all there and well spent.
And now they dont have any water. Lakhs of crores spent on irrigation development, they want brother taxpayer to pump more lakhs of crores as there is still no water. Point is till when.
Till when will middle class tax payers shell out money on projects which yield no results. If people of Maharashtra believe that there politicians and leaders are as clean as a whistle then should we go ahead and send tanker full of trains when there is no water in fields? Or our natural reaction be to pad lock cricket stadiums, call in helicopter full of politicians and increase tax burden of the middle class?
Or we can just chop down more trees and clear out more jungle for our so called dream projects. Water is only important for discussions and shenanigans.
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