Maharashtra mulls water pipeline at Raigad fort

Mumbai: Maharashtra Government plans to set up a water pipeline at the Raigad fort with permission of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) for upkeep and maintenance of trees.

Culture Minister Vinod Tawde told the Legislative Assembly that infrastructure for tree plantation at Raigad fort will be done first and then the work of planting trees will be completed in a year or two.

Tree plantation will be one of the major scheme to be undertaken as part of the Rs 600 crore development of Raigad Fort. So far, 12,375 saplings were planted out of which 7,175 stayed, he said during the question hour.

Tawde, who also holds charge of the Education department told the house that the government stopped payments and initiated inquiries whenever complaints regarding quality of mid-day meals served in Zilla Parishad (ZP) schools was received.

He was responding to supplementaries during the question hour regarding food poisoning from mid day meal in a ZP primary school in Nanded district.
Tawde said whenever complaints are received about the quality of mid day meals in schools from legislators, payments are stopped and a probe is ordered.

About low quality of school bags distributed by the Pune Education Board, Tawde said 3416 bags were found torn and were replaced.

The tender for the school bags was 1.45 crore. A probe was ordered and the report has been submitted. The contractor would be blacklisted, he added.

There was a demand from members about taking away powers for procurement from the education boards and only entrust them with the job of improving quality of education.

To which Tawde said the Education Boards falling under the municipal corporations in the state excluding Mumbai are no longer functional as the law has been amended.
The amount for purchase of school bags, shoes, books would be deposited in the bank accounts of the students, he added.

During a discussion on a question on pollution of 'Gaadhi' river in Panvel due to sewage water, Manisha Chaudhary (BJP) demanded a joint authority for development of Poisar, Oshiwara, Dahisar rivers in Mumbai on the lines of the Mithi river development authority.

Minister of State for education Ravindra Waikar admitted that there have been irregularities in recruitment at Shivaji University in Kolhapur and report of a one member committee into the probe is under consideration.