NASHIK, NOV 6: The Maharashtra Government is likely to shelve its move to enact the "Maharashtra Groundwater (Control on Development and Management) Bill, 2000", following stiff opposition from the farming community and political parties.The State Irrigation Minister Ajit Pawar, while inaugurating the cane crushing seasion of the Niphad Sugar Cooperative, said that if the farming community was against the enactment of the bill, the government would not go ahead with it. Pawar, however, said that the government wanted to have a dialogue with the farmers' representatives on the issue.The bill, which was to be introduced in the forthcoming winter session of the legislature, had sought to establish a new entity, the "Maharashtra State Groundwater Authority", to control the use of water drawn from wells. The bill had invited the wrath of the farming community as well as politicians as it had sought to empower the authority to impose a restriction on drawing water from wells in particular areas to less than 12 feet below ground level. The bill had also sought to authorise the authority to prevent farmers from using water from wells upto six months in a year from February to July, to mantain the water-table.The bill had sought to make registration of wells with the authority within 90 days of the enactment of the bill.The authority was also to be empowered to penalise defaulters. For the first offence the authority was to have the power to impose a fine of Rs 500 and for the second offence, Rs 1,000 and/or imprisonment of six months. For those creating hurdles in community water schemes, a penalty of Rs 2,000 to Rs 5,000 and/or imprisonement from two months to one year were proposed.The bill had created panic among farmers, especially those in well irrigated areas. The Shetkari Sanghatana had held farmers' rallies to create awareness on the ill-effects of the bill. The former health minister and Nashik MLA Dr Daulatrao Aher had recently announced that an agitation would be launched to oppose the "draconian" bill. Nashik water hard to swallowResidents here are complaining that the water supplied by the Nashik Municipal Corporation (NMC) for the past three days is unfit for drinking as it leaves a bitter taste in the mouths.While the well-to do sections of society have turned to bottled mineral water, lakhs of people have no other alternative but to consume the foul, stinky liquid supplied by the NMC through its water supply network.The cause of the problem is yet to be ascertained by the NMC and samples have been sent for chemical analysis. Many explantions regarding the possible causes right from a drowned buffalo to weeds to industrial effluents have been mooted. But nothing has been established so far.The health officer of the NMC, Dr Ravindra Dev, told The Indian Express that preliminary investigations indicated that the cause of the "smelly" water was industrial effluents. He said that during Diwali three major industrial units and their treatment plants were closed down for four to five days for cleaning. He said that the material which was drained out after the cean-up got mixed up with the river water.The problem was further aggravated when the riverbed was covered with weeds. Consequently, the water delivered by the NMC emitted a foul smell. Dr Dev said that though the water had a smell, it was safe for drinking and there was no reason for panic. He further said that the concerned industrial units had been issued notices and action would be taken against them for contamination.He said that though a buffalo had drowned in Godavari river, it had happened about a fortnight ago and the caracass had been fished out and cremated at a safe distance from the riverbed. He said that the buffalo was not the cause for the foul smelling water.He added that the NMC had undertaken a massive clean-up operation and within the next two to three days, the situation would be back to normal.Criminal stabbed in gang warThe rivalry between two gangs in the Malegaon town spilled out on the streets on Sunday, with a criminal being stabbed and shot at in broad daylight.According to the police, the victim, Abdul Salem Abdul Rauf alias Salwadada, was stabbed with a sword while he was having a cup of tea at a roadside tea stall. When he tried to flee the spot, he was chased and shot at. The attackers escaped after Abdul collapsed in a pool of blood.The police have said that Abdul was in the Aziz Lallu gang but had broken up two years ago to form a rival gang. Aziz and his gangsters had made an unsuccessful attempt on him some months ago.On Sunday, when Abdul was spotted at the tea stall, Aziz and three others reached the spot in an autorickshaw armed with a countrymade revolver, swords, and gupti. They stabbed him but when he tried to escape, one of them fired four rounds at him. Abdul sustained a bullet injury and was rushed to a hospital.
