CM seeks PMO aid for faster drought relief

Meets PM’S principal secretary over proposal for ₹7,962-cr Central assistance; seeks help for Dharavi revamp too

MUMBAI: With nearly half of Maharashtra reeling under drought and the state finances strained, chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Friday sought intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for speedier assistance from the Central government.

The state has submitted a proposal to the Centre for assistance of ₹7,962 crore for drought relief. A team from the Centre is currently camping in the state for its sitevisit.

The CM has also sought help from the PMO to take the Dharavi redevelopment project — pending since 2004 — forward with respect to transfer of land owned by the railways.

Fadnavis met with Nripendra Mishra, principal secretary to the PM, along with a delegation of officials in Delhi. After the meeting, the chief minister’s office (CMO) tweeted: “CM @Dev_fadnavis expressed concerns over severity of the drought and sought early assistance. Principal Secretary in PMO, Nripendra Misra assured for early procedures and subsequently required decision making.”

About the Dharavi project, the CMO tweeted: “A committee will be formed with officials from the Railway Board and the CEO, Dharavi Redevelopment and a decision will be taken soon on railway land requirement for the project.”

Nearly 151 of 355 tehsils are reeling under a severe drought in the state, which has impacted kharif production of nearly 77 lakh farmers.

“Typically processing and completion of modalities for drought relief takes a couple of months. We have requested that once the report is prepared by the team from the Centre, the relief should be given within a few weeks. The PMO has assured us this will be done,’’ said a senior official. Of ₹7,962 crore, the state has sought ₹7,100 crore as relief for agriculture losses, ₹535 crore for fodder camps and ₹327 crore for water supply.

The Dharavi redevelopment project has been on the cards since 2004. The Fadnavis government is hoping that the work on the project can start by Januaryend next year. However, this would depend on transfer of land by the railways for transit accommodation.

“The committee will have to finalise the modalities of land transfer vis-a-vis what the railways can get in return. If this is sorted out, we can start with the first phase of the project by January-end. The railways will not need to formulate a policy for this,’’ said another official.