JOIN US A Mumbai-based activist has shot off a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis urging him to stop VIP visits by helicopters to prevent wastage of water.
The Devendra Fadnavis-led BJP-Shiv Sena government has come under criticism over the way it is handling the drought situation and its ministers have come in the line of fire.
Dayanand Nene, the president of Alert Citizens Forum of India and National Secretary of Consumer Protection Service Council, in letter to Fadnavis, said that the road route needs to be preferred.
In his letter, he also attached photographs of the visit of Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh and Maharashtra Revenue and Agriculture Minister Eknath Khadse to Bhiwandi in Thane district on Monday to attend a function.
Nene, who is a member of the BJP and a social activist also said in the letter, “On one hand the government is trying its best to deal with the drought conditions in the state. You have taken a landmark decision of supplying water through railway train to Latur. On the other hand nobody pays attention to such colossal waste of water during official visits by VIPs by helicopters.”
He requested the chief minister to issue a directive or a code of conduct to all as to not to use helicopters to visit places where there are no proper helipads.
“They can go to the nearest place where a helipad is available and then drive down to the site,” he said pointing out that the ministers could have flown in to Thane—where there is a proper helipad and driven down to Bhiwandi which is just 20 minutes away. It would have saved 10,000 litres of water—which is very important as the entire area is reeling under a 60% water cut,” he said.