Jaipur, Oct 8 (SocialNews.XYZ) Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Thursday expressed concern over the serious drought situation in western Rajasthan and urged Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to declare drought-hit areas and begin relief work immediately.
Gehlot said arrangements for fodder and drinking water for livestock should be made without delay instead of making what he termed "hollow announcements".
He alleged that cattle in western Rajasthan were suffering from hunger and thirst while the state government had limited itself to announcements.
He said newspapers across the state were carrying reports highlighting the severity of the drought situation, but no effective relief measures were visible on the ground.
Referring to the Chief Minister's announcement on September 30 regarding the opening of fodder depots in Barmer, Gehlot said that even after eight days, neither fodder depots had been opened nor animal camps started in the affected areas of Barmer and Jaisalmer.
He said the local administration in Gadra Road had informed the media that proposals to start fodder camps in 23 patwar circles had been sent but had not yet received approval.
Gehlot said the administration was citing the Model Code of Conduct as the reason for the delay.
Questioning the government, he asked why necessary preparations were not made before the Model Code of Conduct came into force when the drought situation was already apparent.
He also questioned whether permission had been sought from the State Election Commission to undertake relief work.
Expressing concern over the reported deaths of cattle, the former Chief Minister said that, according to local villagers, livestock deaths had been reported in more than 20 villages in the Gadra Road area of Barmer.
He said the situation had become so severe that, according to reports, cattle were being forced to consume plastic and garbage in some areas.
According to villagers in border areas, fodder prices had increased up to three times and complaints of hoarding had also emerged, he alleged.
Gehlot further said the government was providing only Rs 50 per day per large animal to gaushalas, while gaushala operators claimed the daily expenditure per animal ranged between Rs 100 and Rs 150.
Referring to government figures, he said grant bills amounting to around Rs 383 crore were still pending as of September 9.
He added that even a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from Jaisalmer had demanded that the government immediately declare a drought, but no such declaration had yet been made.
Gehlot said the BJP government, which often speaks about cow welfare, should answer questions regarding the prevailing situation on the ground.
He urged Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma to immediately declare drought, open fodder depots and animal camps, and arrange water supply through tankers to affected villages.
Source: IANS
Gopi Adusumilli is a Programmer. He is the editor of SocialNews.XYZ and President of AGK Fire Inc.
He enjoys designing websites, developing mobile applications and publishing news articles on current events from various authenticated news sources.
When it comes to writing he likes to write about current world politics and Indian Movies. His future plans include developing SocialNews.XYZ into a News website that has no bias or judgment towards any.
He can be reached at gopi@socialnews.xyz
This website uses cookies.
