States » WestPosted at: Oct 17 2026 8:36PM


Farmers leader censures Maha CM over his decision to impose ban on lifting of water from rivers

Kolhapur, Oct 17 (UNI) Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana (SSS) national president and former MP, Raju Shetty, today slammed Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for having imposed a ban on pumping of water from the rivers for sugarcane, without any regard to interests of farmers, by succumbing to pressure from the central leadership
Shetty alleged in a press release here that this decision was not in interests of farmers in the state and taken due to pressure from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union Home & Cooperation minister Amit Shah.
"Seeing that farmers are not yielding to pressure, the state government has imposed a ban on sugarcane harvesting with an aim to dry the farmers' sugarcane and restore its supply to factories. We will thwart this. If a situation arises where farmers' crops are damaged, then the process of starting sugar miills will be taken forward," he said.
He said that 95 per cent of sugar factories in the state were closed and alleged that the Chief Minister took this decision under pressure so that the sugarcane farmers would let the sugar factories to start immediately, instead of seeing their crop get dry.
"However, we will never tolerate this decision," he maintained.
He demanded that the state government should immediately withdraw the ban on lifting of water for agriculture as there is enough stock of water in the dams, otherwise the embankments will be removed and water will be released into the river., he warned.
The SSS chief further demanded that the government should present a dam-wise account to the public of how much live water stock is available in the dams of western Maharashtra, how much of it is reserved for drinking, how much water is approved for industrial use and for agriculture.
"There is no question of allowing sugar factories in the state to re-open at this juncture. Currently, only five per cent of the factories are operating in the state with the recovery of sugarcane is eight per cent, so who will compensate the farmers for their losses," Shetty demanded to know.
UNI SSS SS
Tags: #Farmers leader censures Maha CM over his decision to impose ban on lifting of water from rivers
More News

Maha: Cong slams BJP over lavish Garba events amid drought

17 Oct 2026 | 10:48 PM

Nagpur, Oct 17 (UNI) Maharashtra Congress spokesperson Atul Londhe on Saturday criticised the BJP for organising lavish Garba events amid drought-like conditions and farmers’ distress in the state, alleging that crores of rupees were being spent on festivities while affected farmers were receiving only Rs 5,000 in financial assistance.

see more..

Maha: Tushar Gandhi announces individual Satyagraha march to Mantralaya on Nov 1

17 Oct 2026 | 10:41 PM

Mumbai, Oct 17 (UNI) Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi will undertake an individual Satyagraha in Mumbai on November 1, walking from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) headquarters to the Maharashtra government secretariat, Mantralaya, carrying the national flag and a copy of the Constitution.

see more..

Maha: Mumbai Police externs 13 habitual offenders for 2 years

17 Oct 2026 | 10:33 PM

Mumbai, Oct 17 (UNI) Mumbai Police has externed 13 habitual offenders from the city for two years as part of preventive measures to maintain law and order and ensure public safety.

see more..

Maha: Actor Imran Khan moves Bombay HC against Mumbai Police's ‘Quit India’ notice

17 Oct 2026 | 10:26 PM

Mumbai, Oct 17 (UNI) Actor Imran Khan, the nephew of actor Aamir Khan, has approached the Bombay High Court challenging a Mumbai police notice asking him to leave India by October 28 for his alleged participation in protest against Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar at the August Kranti Maidan, calling the order “arbitrary, unlawful and disproportionate”.

see more..

Maha: Woman killed in tiger attack in Chandrapur

17 Oct 2026 | 10:00 PM

Chandrapur, Oct 17 (UNI): A 45-year-old woman was killed in a tiger attack in the Palasgaon forest area of Chimur taluka in Chandrapur district, within the buffer zone of Tadoba-Andhari Tiger Reserve, officials said on Saturday.

see more..