Shiv Sena, BJP differ on beer units issue

A worker provides tanker water to locals from Ashti village, in Beed district, which is part of the drought-ravaged Marathwada region. (Photo: Solaris Images) Differences between the Shiv Sena and BJP have, once again come to fore.

Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Saturday said that the government should stop the supply of water to beer-manufacturing units in Marathwada. However, BJP’s minister for rural development Pankaja Munde opposed this, claiming that these units did not require a lot of water. Meanwhile, the district administration has decided to reduce water supply to the units by 20 per cent.

Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and minister for water resources Girish Mahajan instructed collectors from Marathwada to review the amount of water available in reservoirs and the water requirement of industries, including beer manufacturers.

There has been an outcry against beer manufactures from locals, who have been pressurising the district administration to stop the supply of water to these industries in the backdrop of bleak drought situation in the region.

Mr Thackeray, who was in Aurangabad on Saturday, also supported the demand. Mr Thackeray said, “There are other ways to get revenue for the state. But as Marathwada is facing an acute shortage of water, the state should stop the supply of water to beer manufacturers.” Appraising the state government’s farm pond scheme, the Sena chief also said that it should approve all proposals for farm ponds.

Ms Munde, who has been supporting beer manufacturers, said that there was no need to stop supplying the water to such industries. “The state does not provide drinking water to beer manufacturers and a huge number of families are dependent upon these industries,” she said. “Do we want to make a number of people unemployed by closing beer industries ” she asked.

On the other hand, Mr Mahajan stated that water supply to beer industries would be stopped till the coming Tuesday.

Also, Aurangabad collector Vaibhav Kulkarni on Saturday issued an order that water supplied to industries, including beer manufacturers, be reduced by 20 per cent.

Though nobody from the beer manufacturers’ association came forward to comment on the administration’s move, an employee at the senior management level, on condition of anonymity said that there were13 industries that manufactures beer. “We do not require a lot of water; our requirement is around 50 MLD and around 10,000 employees are working in these industries,” he said. If they are shut down, workers will join the stressed farmers, who either commit suicide or move out of their native village, he said.