Maharashtra’s ‘water-men’ have disconnected the State’s agro-water supply, leaving lakhs of farmers in the lurch since Monday morning with sowed crops under threat of destruction.
Nearly 1,500 of the 2,500 Irrigation Department employees (canal inspectors — CIs, water measurers — WMs and office clerks — OCs) have abandoned their posts and converged at Azad Maidan in the city over disparities in the Sixth Pay Commission payouts.
Agriculturist Bhushan Jagtap from Khedgaon village in Daund Taluka, Pune district, said he last received a water allocation a month-and-a-half back. “I utilised it for sowing of cattle fodder (greenfields), gowar (beans), macka (corn) and genda (marigold) on my three acres of farmland. I had filled the form for the next allocation, and submitted it to a CI. This morning, however, there was no water.”
When Mr. Jagtap visited the irrigation office on Tuesday to meet the CI, he was told all officers were on strike. “Our village received no rain this year. I am totally dependent on State-supplied water for my fields. If water does not arrive in seven days, my sowed crop, my sowing efforts, which cost me ₹10,000, would be wasted,” he said. One CI services the water needs of around 100 farmers on a daily basis.
Dilip B. Andhale, a CI on protest in Mumbai, confirmed that water supply was disconnected in most regions of the State. “I work in the lift-irrigated segment of Pune Division, which services one lakh farmers. Farmers in the flow-irrigation side are more seriously impacted. We are demanding parity in the wage increase under the Sixth Pay Commission with the Talatis and Gram Sevaks as was the case under the Fifth Pay Commission payouts,” said Mr. Andhale.
Of the sanctioned 10,000 posts of CIs, WMs and OCs, the State had only filled up 2,500 posts, and the appointees were overloaded with work. They have not just ensured seamless water supply to agriculturists, but also water bill collections across the State. This, too, will be adversely affected by the strike.
