10,000 litres water for helipad for mantri in Latur

Maharashtra relief and rehabilitation minister Eknath Khadse landed himself in a controversy following reports that 10,000 litres of water was used for making a temporary helipad for his Latur visit. Mr Khadse, who visited Latur to take stock of the drought situation there, said that he was not aware of the huge volume of water being used for the helipad. The Congress and the NCP said the incident showed the BJP government’s insensitivity.

Mr Khadse visited Belkund on Friday, 40 km from Latur city. Instead of opting to travel by road, Mr Khadse used a helicopter.

“I will seek information regarding the water used for the helipad. I was not aware about it. I feel that if use of water is necessary to build a particular system then it must be used,” Mr Khadse told reporters.

However, NCP spokesperson Clyde Crasto said that the minister could have used another mode of transport from Latur, which is just 40 km away. “It shows insensitivity of the BJP leaders towards the drought-stricken people of Latur. On one hand, they have sent water coaches to the city and on the other they’re wasting water like this. It shows the double standards of the BJP. The minister could have used any other vehicle to reach to the village from Latur,” Mr Crasto said. Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant also criticised Mr Khadse.

“If the minister could have chosen to travel by road, he would have taken 15-20 minutes more. It was wrong to use a helicopter in the backdrop of drought in the state. Khadse should apologise for this because it is contradictory that the government is supplying water through train wagons and the minister is wasting it,” Mr Sawant said. Latur has been facing a severe water crisis and the government recently sent two trains carrying five lakh litres of water.