28 May,2024 09:47 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Representational Pic/File
The Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday set up division-wise committees which will tour the areas reeling under drought-like conditions and take stock of issues faced by farmers, reported the PTI.
The panels will submit memorandums to the respective district collectors, a party release said, the news agency reported on Tuesday.
Around 24 talukas in 15 districts of Maharashtra are reportedly facing severe drought conditions and water tankers have been pressed into service in over 3,000 villages. The situation is severe in the Marathwada region, as per the PTI.
The Marathwada committee will be headed by state unit chief Nana Patole, the North Maharashtra committee by Balasaheb Thorat, while opposition leader Vijay Waddetiwar will be in charge of the Nagpur division.
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Former chief minister Prithviraj Chavan will head the western Maharashtra team, Naseem Khan the Konkan division and Amravati division by Yashomati Thakur, the party statement said.
Senior leaders, elected representatives, and office-bearers will be the members of these committees.
Pune car crash: Maharashtra Congress demands CBI probe
The Maharashtra Congress on Tuesday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the Pune car crash incident and said Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis should step down, reported the PTI.
Two IT professionals lost their lives when a Porsche allegedly driven by a 17-year-old in an inebriated state crashed into their bike them in the Kalyani Nagar area of Pune city in Maharashtra on May 19.
The incident sparked outrage after the Juvenile Justice Board granted bail to the teenager and asked him to write an essay on road accidents, but he was later sent to an observation home till June 5.
The police have since arrested the teenager's father, grandfather, and Dr Ajay Taware, head of the Forensic Medicine department of the Sassoon General Hospital and its chief medical officer, Dr Shrihari Halnor, for allegedly manipulating the blood samples of the juvenile, according to the PTI.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Maharashtra Congress chief Nana Patole alleged that the Sassoon General Hospital was a five-star hotel for criminals, the news agency reported.
Nana Patole said that while the state is reeling under severe drought, instances of drunken driving and drugs are on the rise.
"Such incidents have been reported in Nagpur, Jalgaon and Pune, but what is infuriating is that efforts were made through the government system to ensure that the privileged accused get immediate bail," the Maharashtra Congress leader alleged.
The CBI must investigate the car crash case as there seems to be political interference to save the rich accused, he said.
He further alleged that the juvenile involved in the car crash was accompanied by an MLA's son.
(with PTI inputs)
