Maharashtra drought: 10,000 litres of water used for helipad for Union Minister Radha Mohan Singh in Bhiwandi

Mumbai: A BJP activist Dayanand Nene had claimed that 10,000 litres of water was used for helipad for Union Min Radha Mohan Singh in Bhiwandi.

"I have requested Maharashtra CM to form a code of conduct that VIPs should avoid going to places in choppers without helipad," Nene said on Wednesday, as per ANI.

Meanwhile, with only three percent water left in dams of drought-hit Marathwada region, the severity of the water crunch in Maharashtra has deepened, prompting the state government to ban digging of borewells below 200 feet to check further depletion of ground water.

The decision came close on the heels of cut in water supply to industrial units including breweries in the severely affected Aurangabad district.

Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Babanrao Lonikar had said yesterday that any violation of the decision on borewells would invite action under the 'Maharashtra Groundwater Development and Management Act' where violators may face fine or even imprisonment.

He had said that with the amount of water being drawn out from the ground, it was imperative to control the digging of borewells, which will eventually help in averting drought- related problems.

Meanwgile, after nine trips by a 10-wagon water train, a 50-wagon water train carrying 25 lakh litre water reached parched Latur today.

The train, christened 'Jaldoot', left Miraj in western Maharashtra at around 11 PM last night, for drought-hit Latur city, a distance of around 342 kilometres.

So far, 70 lakh litre water has been delivered by train to Latur, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said.

The train had previously made nine trips, each time carrying 5 lakh litres of water, to the parched city.

(With Agency inputs)