ZP spl meet on water crisis heats up as BJP ups the ante

Nagpur: BJP elected members in zilla parishad (ZP) cornered the ruling Congress party during a special general body meeting called on Thursday to address water shortage in the district.
With sweltering heat and rising temperature, villages in the outskirts of Nagpur city are experiencing water crisis. To counter the problem and find a long-lasting solution, a special meeting was called at ZP.
Despite efforts to maintain order, the meeting saw a series of arguments and counter-arguments, with participants seemingly unable to find a common ground on how to tackle the pressing issue at hand.
BJP members took an aggressive tone by accusing the ZP of not calling tenders for water tankers. Leader of opposition and BJP leader Aatish Umre said, “According to the govt resolution, tenders must be called before allotting water tankers. However, water tankers were sent in clear violation of all the rules and regulations.”
The allegations followed official confirmation during the meeting that, till date, 7 tankers have been allotted in 11 villages of Hingna taluka and in 3 villages of Parsheoni. As per rule, the ZP doesn’t have the authority to send tankers directly, but get it approved first by the district collector, which was obtained only on Wednesday.
Congress’ Sunil Kedar has a sway in the ZP with the ruling party having 31 elected members while BJP having 14 members.
In recent times, the BJP has seen an influx of ZP members from the ruling party, leading to a stronger opposition in the House. Hence, the Congress party members felt cornered during the Thursday meeting with defectors and discontented members raising tough questions.
Shetkari Kamgar Paksha’s (SKP) Samir Umap and former vice-president Manohar Kumbhare had joined the BJP a few months ago. The shift of allegiances, especially with Kumbhare's move to the BJP, has compounded Congress' troubles.
The hall also echoed the sentiment as to why it took so long for the ZP to take action on a serious issue like water.
“Monsoon is just one month away and we are having this meeting on what actions should be taken to resolve water shortage in villages. We should have had this conversation in March or April,” said Umre.
During the special meeting on water crisis on Thursday, zilla parishad officials informed the elected members that about 628 works need to be prioritised and expressed confidence that within 15 - 20 days 80% of the work will be completed.