Latur politicians thirsty for name

Mumbai - All claim credit as water train reaches drought-hit city

 Even as a train carrying half a million litres of water to drought-hit Latur reached the city in the early hours of Tuesday, local politicians scrambled to hog the limelight and claim credit for the transportation of water.
Indian Railways has organised special goods trains to transport water from Miraj to Latur, a distance of about 350km, in Maharashtra. The second train, carrying another half a million litres of water, is expected to leave Miraj over the next few days.
Politicians from the BJP and Congress rushed to the platform on Tuesday morning as the train entered the station. While some broke coconut just before the train reached the platform, others had organised for a priest to perform a welcoming ritual for the train. Even the amused driver of the train was felicitated by the politicians, who had their eyes on the flashing cameras.
Located in the backward region of Marathwada, about 500km south-east of here, Latur - and other places in the region - has been facing a water crisis for the past few weeks. Local district officials had imposed curbs, preventing the assembly of more than five persons to prevent riots at water dispensing centres.
With summer just setting in, the authorities are worried that the water crisis will intensify, leading to law and order problems. Water supply in many parts of Maharashtra is controlled by a tanker mafia, which sells the liquid at prohibitive prices.
There are plenty of irregularities in the government-controlled distribution of water through tankers, with powerful people managing to grab the bulk of the water.
Indian Railways decided to allocate special trains to transport water to Latur. However, the city is just one of the scores of small towns that dot Marathwada, and facing an acute scarcity of water.
Marathwada, which lies in a rain shadow region, has faced two successive years of scanty rains, leading to severe drought. Thousands of people have migrated to other parts of Maharashtra, including Mumbai and Pune.
Governments in Maharashtra have for decades splurged money on the western parts of the state, investing in massive irrigation projects. Areas like Marathwada and Vidarbha have been neglected, leading to rural distress and farmer suicides.
nithin@khaleejtimes.com

• India