विदर्भाची मागणी महाराष्ट्राच्या अन्यायातूनच - --- डॉ. भालचंद्र मुणगेकर (नियोजन आयोगाचे माजी सदस्य )

विदर्भाची मागणी महाराष्ट्राच्या अन्यायातूनच - डॉ. मुणगेकर

सकाळ वृत्तसेवा

Sunday, February 28, 2010 AT 01:00 AM (IST)

Tags: independent vidarbha, Bhalchandra Mungekar , nagpur, vidarbha

http://72.78.249.125/esakal/20100228/5503222053790730340.htm

नागपूर - "महाराष्ट्राने अन्याय केल्यानेच वेगळ्या विदर्भाची मागणी जोर धरू लागली आहे. याविषयी केंद्र व राज्य सरकारने गंभीरतेने विचार करण्याची गरज आहे', असे मत नियोजन आयोगाचे माजी सदस्य डॉ. भालचंद्र मुणगेकर यांनी पत्रपरिषदेत व्यक्त केले. वेगळा विदर्भ आर्थिकदृष्ट्या सक्षम आहे, असेही त्यांनी स्पष्ट केले.

आंतरराष्ट्रीय बौद्ध परिषदेची माहिती देण्यासाठी शहरात आले असता ते पत्रकारांशी बोलत होते. विदर्भ महाराष्ट्रात विलीन होताना करण्यात आलेल्या "नागपूर करारा'नुसार फक्त हिवाळी अधिवेशन नागपुरात होते. करारातील अन्य विषयांकडे पूर्णपणे दुर्लक्ष करीत अन्याय केल्याने अनुशेष वाढत गेला आणि झालेल्या अन्यायातूनच वेगळ्या विदर्भाची मागणी पुढे आली. विदर्भाचा अनुशेष दूर करण्यासाठी राज्य शासनाने पुढाकार घेऊन मागण्या पूर्ण केल्यास आजही वेगळ्या विदर्भाचा मुद्दा मागे पडू शकतो, असे ते म्हणाले.

वैधानिक विकास मंडळ हे अनुशेष दूर करण्यासाठी स्थापन करण्यात आलेत; परंतु मंडळेही अनुशेष दूर करण्यास असमर्थ ठरले आहेत. सिचन, पायाभूत, शैक्षणिक आणि औद्योगिक सुविधा नसल्याने विदर्भाचा विकास होऊ शकला नाही. यातूनच वेगळ्या विदर्भाच्या मुद्द्याला सर्व स्तरातून प्रतिसाद मिळत असल्याचे दिसते, असेही त्यांनी सांगितले.

गेल्या पंधरा वर्षांपासून सिंचन, कृषी विकासासाठी केंद्र आणि राज्य सरकारने दुर्लक्ष केल्यानेच महागाई वाढू लागली. देशातील 65 टक्के जनता शेतीवर आधारित आहे. यामुळे शेतीचा विकास केल्याशिवाय देशाचा सर्व सर्वसमावेशक विकास होणार नसल्याचेही त्यांनी एका प्रश्‍नाच्या उत्तरात सांगितले. मागासलेल्या भागांचा विकास न झाल्यानेच नक्षलवाद वाढला असल्याचेही त्यांनी स्पष्ट केले. यामुळेच कायदा आणि सुव्यवस्था बिघडली आहे. प्रादेशिक असमतोलामुळेच परराज्यातून येणारे लोंढे वाढलेत. मुंबईसारख्या शहरात गुंतवणूक वाढत असल्यानेच कामासाठी इतर राज्यांतील लोकांचे लोंढे येत आहेत. यापुढेही येतील. त्यांना मारहाण करणे, हाकलून लावणे यातून समस्या सुटणार नाही; तर त्यावर उपाय काढणे गरजेचे आहे, असे एका प्रश्‍नाच्या उत्तरात डॉ. मुणगेकर म्हणाले.

Vidarbha Environmental Action Group (VEAG) to oppose 50 power plants vidarbha -TOI Reports

Printed from

Group formed to oppose power plants

TNN, Feb 22, 2010, 03.05am IST

NAGPUR: Some prominent Nagpurians have formed a group to oppose a large number of power plants coming up in the region as they believe that a power surplus region does not need so many plants.

These power plants will use water meant for irrigation, thousands of acres of fertile land will be acquired for them and for transmission towers and they will increase pollution levels in the region beyond tolerable levels. The first meeting of Vidarbha Environmental Action Group (VEAG) was held in Vidarbha Industries Association (VIA) Hall in Civil Lines. People from various cross sections of society including builders, engineers, retired MSEB officers, social activists and environmentalists participated in the meet.

Power expert Sudhir Paliwal told the gathering that a large number of power plants was in the pipeline in Vidarbha and an additional capacity of 35,000 MW was planned. If all the projects took off then Vidarbha would become a wasteland. "This is being done as the government and private companies think Vidarbha is a soft target. On the other hand no power plant is being planned in western Maharashtra."

He said that VEAG planned to file a public interest litigation (PIL) against the power plants and sought cooperation of all Vidarbhaites. Environmentalist Mohan Kothekar urged VEAG to print booklets in Hindi and Marathi languages so that the information could reach the grassroots.

Power consultant R B Goenka said, "Government should go in for distributed generation by setting up smaller power plants near big cities and industrial areas. This would reduce transmission losses and keep pollution under control. Small power plants needed 10% water per MW as compared to their bigger counterparts as they used air cooled generation."

Participants including L G Kriplani and Vijay Dhanwatay expressed their views and it was decided that another meeting would be held soon to discuss the next step.

vidarbha agrarian crisis claims 16 farmers suicides in last five days

vidarbha agrarian crisis claims 16 farmers suicides in last five days

Nagpur-15th feb.2010

when world celebrating Valentine's Day and what could be a better time to let your dear ones know that you love them but five vidarbha cotton farmers it was not like that as dear one in the house parted with them by killing himself due to despair and gloom as part of on going agrarian crisis in which more than 40,000 farmers killed themselves in Maharashtra since 1998 as official figure of Govt. of India

Five vidarbha farmers who committed suicides on Valentine's Day yesterday are victims of crop failure due to severe drought as more than 14000 villages have officially declared drought hit by Maharashtra Govt. but no relief aid has been till decleared, they are

1.SunilDeshmukh in Ner –Yavatmal

2.Sachin Lokhande in Kelwat –Amaravati

3.Balkrishana Wakhode in Danapir-Akola

4.Mankarabai Dutonde in Antari –Akola

5-Gulabrao Thorat in kelwat –Buldhana

Earlier in this week only eleven more farmers committed suicides due to vidarbha agrarian crisis - v.i.z.

6.Ekanath Ladke of Panoli in Chandrapur

7.Sudharkar Sabale of Ashgoan in Amaravati

8.Tukaram Bawane of Mansawali in Distt-Amaravati

9.Bhanudas Kangane of Palaskhed in Buldhana

10.Ravi Lengure of Sonbardi in Yavtamal

11.Chandu rathode of mohdari in Yavatmal

12.Gajanan manchelwar of pandharkawada in Yavatmal

13.Gajanan wankhede of Asara in Yavatmal

14.Vinod kale from Nindipeth in Akola

15. Manoj more of unkhed in Akola

16.Raju bobde of sawli wagh in Wardha

even tough state Govt. declared drought in 14,059 villages in vidarbha due to complete crop failure and it was expected that administration will take stock of situation and attend crisis to provide urgent relief but nothing has happened resulting the restart of farm suicide spiral that reflects on going administration apathy to the national agrarian crisis serious inssue,informed Kishore Tiwari of Vidarbha Janandolan Samiti in press note .as per administration reports these villages has facing the problem of water ,fodder ,food and employment but till date any single district administration has not started any relief work resulting migration of thousands farmers for the want of work .ground condition is worst than June-2006 and now it’s time for Indian intervention to solve vidarbha agrarian crisis as allrelief package failed to give any result ,Tiwari urged.

VJAS urged Indian Prime Minister intervention in vidarbha agrarian crisis to address the dying farmers to attend issues of free health care, food security, rural employment , fodder to save dying cattle ,drinking water to rural masses and cattle on priority basis so that prevailing acute distress can be minimize and farmers suicides can be controlled ,Tiwari said.
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VJAS urged Maharashtra chief minister to oppose Bt Brinjal- Stop illegal trials of Bt Brinjal in Vidarbha

VJAS urged Maharashtra chief minister to oppose Bt Brinjal- Stop illegal trials of Bt Brinjal in Vidarbha

Nagpur-February 7th, 2010

The result of more than 10,000 farm suicides of cotton farmers after introduction of Bt.cotton in Maharashtra since june-2005 which has been turned as farm suicide capital,of the nation,asked Maharashtra chief Minister Ashok Chavan to oppose the Govt. of India proposal to grant sanction to the commercial production of another Bt.crop majority of chief ministers had come out against the commercialization of Bt Brinjal.

TheMinister for Environment and Forests Jairam Ramesh is scheduled to announce his decision Feb 10 in New Delhi on the recommendation of the Genetically Engineering Approval Committee (GEAC), a statutory authority set up under the Environment Protection Act of 1986.

“A majority of chief ministers have written to me on the issue have opposed the introduction of Bt brinjal,” Ramesh told media that include West Bengal, Orissa, Bihar, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

“I have got response from the major brinjal cultivating states. About 60 percent of brinjal in India is cultivated in West Bengal (30 percent), Orissa (20 percent) and Bihar (10 percent). All these states have opposed its introduction and Tamil Nadu, its chief secretary told me on phone that his state too was opposed to the commercialisation of Bt Brinjal,” Ramesh said.

India produces about eight million tonnes of brinjal per annum in 2,400 varieties. Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu account for 20 percent collectively.

Maharashtra, Punjab, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh have not yet responded states which are consuming more than 40% brinjal in India hence,there say is too important to take final decision .

The GEAC made a recommendation Oct 15, 2009 that Bt Brinjal should be commercialised.

Vidarbha Jan andolan samiti(VJAS) president in a letter to maharashtra chief minister ashok chavan urged him take in to account the complete failure of Bt.cotton in more than 3.2 million hector in Maharashtra this year where state Govt. has officially decleared drought due to crop failure ,the toll claims made by Monsanto,American seed company regarding the pest resistance and production turned to be futile and farmers have already lost more than Rs.5000 crore due to crop failure,thats clearly indicate the disastrous impact of killer seed in cotton-belt of maharashtra.

"It is officially confirmed that this year American seed company Monsanto has arranged for illegal trials of Bt.brinjal as they did for Bt. cotton in 2002-2003 through it's counterpart in indian Mahyco -Monsanto and Bt.brinjal is being sold in Maharashtra without any permission"Tiwari alleged .

"It is claimed that GM brinjal contains a foreign gene, cry1Ac, derived from a soil bacterium, bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). This gene synthesises a protein toxic to the fruit and shoot borer (FSB), a destructive insect pest. Its incorporation into brinjal is said to confer the crop `built-in' resistance to FSB, reducing reliance on spraying pesticides,same claim was made for Bt. cotton but it failed miserably hence feedback of massive failure of Bt.cotton in Maharashtra should be taken in to consideration before the final decision is taken in this regard"Tiwari said.

"Issue of vidarbha innocent cotton farmers genocide after introduction of Bt.cotton in this region is very important and one cant ignored this serious aspact when we talk about food security and food sefety hence opposition to Bt. brinjal from mahrashtra is must and state Govt. should not work under pressure from Indian agriculture sharad pawar who is very close to American GM seed leader monsantro "Tiwari added.

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