Maharashtra rains: NCP (SP) leader writes to Guv, seeks 3-day special session of legislature

Mumbai, Sep 28 (PTI) Senior NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil on Sunday urged Maharashtra Governor Acharya Devvrat to convene a three-day special session of the legislature to discuss the widespread damage caused by heavy rains and floods across the state.

In a letter to the Governor, Patil, a former state minister, said torrential rains have wreaked havoc across Maharashtra this year, with the intensity of the downpour increasing further in the past week.

"Streams and rivers are overflowing, farmlands have turned muddy, livestock has perished, many people are stranded in flood-hit areas, and several have lost their lives. There is chaos across the state," he wrote.

Patil, who has been visiting flood-affected villages to assess the ground situation, said farmers are facing an unprecedented crisis.

"Not only have the crops been destroyed, but in many places the fertile topsoil has been washed away. The losses are so severe that even a year's hard work may not be enough for farmers to recover," he said.

"In such a time of crisis, the government must provide substantial assistance, but it does not appear to be doing so. Hence, a three-day special session of the Maharashtra legislature should be convened to discuss the situation in detail and take immediate decisions," Patil demanded.

The state government should immediately announce a relief grant for flood-affected landless agricultural labourers, he added.

In an X post, Patil said he visited several flood-affected villages in Solapur, Dharashiv and Beed districts over the past two days and found that landless farm workers have suffered severe losses.

"The state government must conduct immediate damage assessments and provide financial assistance to the affected. Landless families have lost their means of livelihood entirely. Many had already suffered losses due to rains last month, and with little prospect of employment in the coming weeks, it is essential to announce a substantial relief grant or allowance without delay," he said.

The government must take urgent note of the difficulties faced by farmers, labourers and the general public, and implement necessary measures to provide timely assistance, the Nationalist Congress Party (SP) leader added. PTI MR BNM