Mumbai, Sep 9 (PTI) Maharashtra Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Monday said Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan visited flood-affected areas of Andhra Pradesh since the ruling TDP there is an ally at the Centre.
Torrential rains in the wake of a depression in the Bay of Bengal and inflow from the swollen Budameru rivulet caused havoc in Vijayawada, resulting in flooding in many parts of the southern state. Chouhan toured the state last week and had lauded the Chandrababu Naidu government there for providing people quick relief.
“Since the Union government has been formed with the support of the TDP, Chouhan went to Andhra Pradesh. When will he come to Maharashtra? Why has no Central delegation come to Maharashtra to assess rain damage?” Wadettiwar asked.
“Maharashtra has experienced substantial crop loss due to heavy rains. The situation is similar to that in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Chouhan has announced financial assistance of Rs 3,448 crore to these states but none to Maharashtra,” the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly told reporters.
Wadettiwar said soybean, cotton, lentil, turmeric and some horticultural crops had been damaged over an area of 11,88,000 hectares, with the fertile top layer soil being washed away on an area of 78,000 hectares due to heavy rains in the past few days.
Slamming state agriculture minister Dhananjay Munde for organising a public event in Beed in which Marathi and Hindi film actors took part, Wadettiwar said the NCP leader was getting his priorities wrong.
“With nearly 12 lakh hectares of agricultural land affected and approximately 700 livestock lost due to heavy rains, it is imperative for Munde to write to Chouhan seeking help. He must know that, as a minister, he has the accountability and responsibility of the farmers,” Wadettiwar said. PTI ND BNM
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.