Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis instructed officials of the Water Resource department today to speed up the Nira-Bhima and Bhima-Sina tunnel links.
The decision, which was taken after Fadnavis took stock of irrigation projects stuck in the drought-affected Marathwada region, is to ensure that seven TMC of water is made available to Osmanabad and Beed districts.
The Marathwada region is supposed to receive 23.66 TMC of water from the Krishna-Marathwada basin.
However, the region has been deprived of its share of water due to pending work on the tunnels.
Fadnavis has also instructed officials to prepare a detailed report on making available the remaining 16.66 TMC of water from the Krishna-Marathwada basin.
The Marathwada region needs around Rs 4,500 crore to get its share of water, for which he has asked officials to suggest ways to raise funds.
According to a study, once 7 TMC of water is made available to the Marathwada region, around 33,945 hectares of land will come under irrigation.
"These areas will get a lot of relief if water is made available and employment opportunities will also be created," Fadnavis said.
