1 week Ago By Sandip Dighe
Pune: For several decades now, the Indapur assembly constituency in rural Pune has been struggling with various agricultural and water-related challenges. Residents and activists have for long criticized political leaders for not addressing these issues effectively. Here, farmers are calling for the establishment of agro-processing plants, timely payments for their sugar cane harvest, and promotion of water tourism at Ujani dam to create local job opportunities.
Equally intense is the political battle emerging for the upcoming assembly poll between two groups borne of the erstwhile undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Now, two-time MLA Datta Bharne of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is facing off against four-time former minister Harshavardhan Patil fielded by the NCP (SCP). Amidst these political developments, however, many voters — particularly activists and farmers — feel the people's issues of the tehsil have been put on the back burner.
Farmer Sachin Kokare told TOI, "Nobody is keen to resolve or talk about water scarcity issues in 22 villages that are in the Nira river region." Activist Ramesh Khartode, who was part of local dam water protests a few months ago, similarly said, "There is no clarity on reservation of Khadakwasla dam water for the tehsil on official record. We had to protest and fight for water last year.
We need a concrete solution. Unfortunately, political leaders across party lines are busy with political campaigns. People's issues have taken a backseat.
" Indapur tehsil is known for various fruit plantations, particularly pomegranate. It produces export-quality pomegranate that has demand in national and international markets. However, the tehsil does not have warehouses and agri-processing units for facilitating byproducts of the crop.
Pomegranate farmers feel leaders have not shown gumption and vision in the past to take up this project as a priority. At the same time, sugar cane growers are also going through a tough time in the tehsil as three cooperative sugar cane factories are not in a good financial state here. As a result, farmers do not get their payments on time.
"Two factories that take care of a significant area of sugar cane have been struggling financially for the last decade. Thus, many of us do not get payments on time. Who will address this concern?" asked a sugar cane grower from Kalus village.
Locals said that Loni Devkar, an industrial belt in the tehsil, has also not gotten any new industrial plants in the last few years. So, there are very few industrial job opportunities available. "Despite having fertile ground for agri-industry, the tehsil does not have any plants in this sector.
Politicians have failed to project the real potential of the tehsil," said another activist, Arvind Jagtap. He added, "There is huge potential for water tourism in the tehsil due to the presence of Ujani dam, one of the biggest dams in the state with a capacity of 115 TMC. However, we have rudimentary tourism.
This has the potential to create major employment opportunities for locals. Political will is necessary to see growth in the sector." Caste is one of the big factors in the politics of Indapur tehsil.
The population here is constituted of Maratha and Dhangar communities in significant numbers. While Patil belongs to the Maratha community, Bharne comes from the Dhangar community. Over the years, Patil has lost his favour within the Dhangar community, mainly due to Bharne.
However, this time, local leaders say he has managed to get some Dhangar leaders' support. Further, the Maratha community's leaders are backing Patil this time, observers further said. Another factor in the tussle is the presence of independent candidate Pravin Mane, who has a significant support base in his Zilla Parishad unit of Panasadev, and could alter equations for Patil and Bharne.
It is to be noted that Patil had switched loyalties to the Sharad Pawar camp just a few weeks before the announcement of the state assembly election. He was elected MLA in Indapur as an independent in 1995, 1999 and 2004; in 2009, he was elected on the Congress ticket. Patil has been a minister all four times.
However, Bharne snatched Patil's family bastion riding on the strong base of the Dhangar community in 2014 and defeated him once again in 2019 by a slender margin of 3,300 votes. Now, this is the third contest between the duo. Pune: For several decades now, the Indapur assembly constituency in rural Pune has been struggling with various agricultural and water-related challenges.
Residents and activists have for long criticized political leaders for not addressing these issues effectively. Here, farmers are calling for the establishment of agro-processing plants, timely payments for their sugar cane harvest, and promotion of water tourism at Ujani dam to create local job opportunities. Equally intense is the political battle emerging for the upcoming assembly poll between two groups borne of the erstwhile undivided Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
Now, two-time MLA Datta Bharne of the Ajit Pawar-led NCP is facing off against four-time former minister Harshavardhan Patil fielded by the NCP (SCP). Amidst these political developments, however, many voters — particularly activists and farmers — feel the people's issues of the tehsil have been put on the back burner. Farmer Sachin Kokare told TOI, "Nobody is keen to resolve or talk about water scarcity issues in 22 villages that are in the Nira river region.
" Activist Ramesh Khartode, who was part of local dam water protests a few months ago, similarly said, "There is no clarity on reservation of Khadakwasla dam water for the tehsil on official record. We had to protest and fight for water last year. We need a concrete solution.
Unfortunately, political leaders across party lines are busy with political campaigns. People's issues have taken a backseat." Indapur tehsil is known for various fruit plantations, particularly pomegranate.
It produces export-quality pomegranate that has demand in national and international markets. However, the tehsil does not have warehouses and agri-processing units for facilitating byproducts of the crop. Pomegranate farmers feel leaders have not shown gumption and vision in the past to take up this project as a priority.
At the same time, sugar cane growers are also going through a tough time in the tehsil as three cooperative sugar cane factories are not in a good financial state here. As a result, farmers do not get their payments on time. "Two factories that take care of a significant area of sugar cane have been struggling financially for the last decade.
Thus, many of us do not get payments on time. Who will address this concern?" asked a sugar cane grower from Kalus village. Locals said that Loni Devkar, an industrial belt in the tehsil, has also not gotten any new industrial plants in the last few years.
So, there are very few industrial job opportunities available. "Despite having fertile ground for agri-industry, the tehsil does not have any plants in this sector. Politicians have failed to project the real potential of the tehsil," said another activist, Arvind Jagtap.
He added, "There is huge potential for water tourism in the tehsil due to the presence of Ujani dam, one of the biggest dams in the state with a capacity of 115 TMC. However, we have rudimentary tourism. This has the potential to create major employment opportunities for locals.
Political will is necessary to see growth in the sector." Caste is one of the big factors in the politics of Indapur tehsil. The population here is constituted of Maratha and Dhangar communities in significant numbers.
While Patil belongs to the Maratha community, Bharne comes from the Dhangar community. Over the years, Patil has lost his favour within the Dhangar community, mainly due to Bharne. However, this time, local leaders say he has managed to get some Dhangar leaders' support.
Further, the Maratha community's leaders are backing Patil this time, observers further said. Another factor in the tussle is the presence of independent candidate Pravin Mane, who has a significant support base in his Zilla Parishad unit of Panasadev, and could alter equations for Patil and Bharne. It is to be noted that Patil had switched loyalties to the Sharad Pawar camp just a few weeks before the announcement of the state assembly election.
He was elected MLA in Indapur as an independent in 1995, 1999 and 2004; in 2009, he was elected on the Congress ticket. Patil has been a minister all four times. However, Bharne snatched Patil's family bastion riding on the strong base of the Dhangar community in 2014 and defeated him once again in 2019 by a slender margin of 3,300 votes.
Now, this is the third contest between the duo..
