Concerned over the growth of irrigation capacity by just 0.1 per cent in the last decade, the Maharashtra Chief Minister, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, today said a white paper on irrigation would be published soon.

“I will ask the irrigation department to verify the exact amount spent on increasing irrigation capacity and what has actually been done and direct the concerned department to bring out a white paper,” Mr Chavan said while speaking at a symposium on ‘Maharashtra — Past, Present and Future' organised to mark the birth centenary of the State's first Chief Minister, Mr Y. B. Chavan.

Interestingly, the irrigation department, which is now renamed as water resources, is held by the NCP for the last 15 years since the time Congress-NCP coalition is ruling the State.

Mr Chavan's response came to criticism by PWP legislator, Mr Ganpatrao Deshmukh, and leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Mr Eknath Khadse, during the first session of the symposium held at the Vidhan Bhavan's central hall. Mr Chavan was the moderator of the session.

Irrigation capacity

Mr Deshmukh said Andhra Pradesh's irrigation capacity was 48 per cent, Gujarat 46 per cent, Karnataka 32 per cent and Maharashtra was just about 18 per cent.

He said this was happening because of lack of planning.

Mr Khadse demanded to know as to who was responsible for it.

“We spent Rs 70,000 crore in the last ten years and the increase in the irrigation capacity is not more than 1 per cent,” he said.

Mr Khadse said Maharashtra wasted 300 tmc of water and Gujarat built the Ukai dam and used the water for irrigation purpose. The agriculture growth rate of Gujarat is 14 per cent in a short span of time.

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