Nagpur: The General Body Meeting (GBM) of Nagpur Zilla Parishad (ZP) on Friday witnessed fierce commotion as the members belonging to the ruling Congress-NCP and the opposition BJP staged competitive protests outside the ZP building. However, when the meeting started, the common feature that emerged was that the members from the ruling as well as the opposition side united against the officers over various issues.
The tenure of two-and-a-half years of the present office-bearers will come to an end in June and the new faces from the ruling side may become office-bearers later on. Against this backdrop, the general body meeting of ZP on Friday was the last one for the current office-bearers. Rashmi Barve, ZP President chaired the meeting. Tapeshwar Vaidya, Nemavali Mate, Bharati Patil, Ujjwala Bodhare, Sumitra Kumbhare,chairpersons of various committees, and Yogesh Kumbhejkar, Chief Executive Officer, were present prominently.
Ahead of the meeting, BJP members led by Atish Umre broke the earthen pots in front of ZP building to register protest against the alleged inaction in redressing water woes of the people in rural areas. In competition, the ruling Congress’ members led by Barve, Vaidya, Mate, Patil, Bodhare, Kumbhare, and Avantika Lekurwale, Kunda Raut, Shanta Kumre, Dinesh Dhole staged protest against the hike in prices of fuel and domestic LPG cylinders.
While BJP members blamed the ruling dispensation over failure in ensuring supply of drinking water to the people, the Congress-NCP members blamed the Central Government over price rise that affected the budget of common people from rural areas. Later on, when the general body meeting began, though the issues of water supply, repairs of school buildings, need for providing relief to farmers, provision of housing units, etc came up for discussion, the common feature was that the members from the ruling as well as the opposition sides were united against the officers.
In response to the issues raised by some members, the ZP President asked the administration to suspend Gram Sachiv of Udasa, and also transfer a doctor at Mansar primary healthcare centre. Sameer Umap raised the demand for immediate survey and distribution of compensation to farmers affected due to unseasonal rains.
Kunda Raut, Salil Deshmukh, and Atish Umre supported the demand. Deshmukh, who is an NCP member, urged ZP to pass a resolution demanding reduction in prices of fertilizers and to send the same to the Union Agriculture Minister. He also pressed for curbing the sale of spurious seeds. Also, he demanded to fill up posts of officer in Kuhi, Narkhed, Bhiwapur, and Ramtek tehsils.
Pravin Jodh raised the issue of lack of funds for eight irrigation projects in Katol and Narkhed tehsils. Deshmukh sought to hand over these projects to Soil and Water Conservation Department and assured to follow up the same with the State Government. During discussion on water scarcity, Umre flayed Hema Bade, Deputy Collector, for responding to his question by pointing finger at him and expressing her inability to answer a query regarding something that had happened before she took charge of the office. Barve also expressed her displeasure over this. She asked the CEO Kumbhejkar to take action against the official.
The officer tendered an apology and said that she did not intend to insult anyone. Still, Kunda Raut and other members sought action against the official. Finally, Kumbhejkar pacified the members.
