Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday said action will be taken against those found guilty in the sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh murder case, and assured to create "a new Beed".

He was speaking during his first visit to Beed district after taking over as the chief minister of the state for the third time in December last year.

Representatives of the Sarpanch Parishad, an organisation, met the CM on the sidelines of the ground-breaking ceremony of Shimpora to Kunthefal irrigation project in Ashti taluka of Beed, and put forth their demands.

Santosh Deshmukh, the sarpanch of Massajog village in Beed, was abducted, tortured and murdered on December 9 last year for allegedly trying to stop an extortion bid targeting an energy firm. Seven persons have been arrested in the case. NCP minister Dhananjay Munde's close aide Walmik Karad has been arrested in a related extortion case.

Referring to his meeting with the Sarpanch Parishad members, Fadnavis said, "Representatives of the Sarpanch Parishad met me and put forth their demands. The incident involving sarpanch Santosh Deshmukh was unfortunate. But such incidents will not be tolerated and action will be taken against whoever is guilty. People of Beed have elected many big leaders in the past and the legacy should continue. We should create a new Beed and I will stand firmly with such efforts." In his address, local BJP MLA Suresh Dhas said he was facing allegations of defaming Beed district.

"Some people say that Beed is being defamed. This district has elected people like Krantisingh Nana Patil, Kesharkaku Kshirsagar and Gopinath Munde. But some politicians supported criminals and defamed the district. However, the CM has taken a strong stand, which people liked and they have faith in his words," said Dhas, who has been targeting Dhananjay Munde in the wake of the sarpanch murder case.

In his address, Fadnavis further said that all lift irrigation projects in the state will be run on solar power to help provide round-the-clock electricity to farmers, and added that drought will be a thing of the past in Marathwada region.

He also said that the hurdles in the river-linking projects have been removed by the Mahayuti government and work on it will commence in the next one year.

The Shimpora to Kunthefal irrigation project is set to bring more than 8,100 hectares of land under irrigation.

Fadnavis said, "We know when the plan was being prepared for Krishna valley area, it was decided that 23 TMC water should be made available to the Marathwada region. But unfortunately, it was not implemented properly. Only 7 TMC water could be found and so 23 TMC water was available only on paper."

As per the plan, water was supposed to reach Sina Kolegaon in Dharashiv district first and then be provided to Beed, but there was no planning for it. Our government gave necessary sanction in 2022 to this project and took the work forward, he said.

"The drought in the Marathwada region will be a thing of the past. Soon, we will be able to see this area irrigated. Water here should also be taken to the farmlands through drip irrigation. We also have to bring 53 TMC water from the western region, which goes into the sea, to the Godavari valley. Once this happens, the next generation of this region will not have to experience drought again," Fadnavis said.

"Now, hurdles in the river-linking project are over and we will be able to start work in the next one year. We are firm that the next generation here will not see drought. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has also agreed to help for the river-linking project. We are also going to run all such schemes on solar power," he added.

Marathwada, which comprises eight districts - Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Parbhani, Latur, Nanded, Dharashiv and Hingoli - is drought-affected region.

The lift irrigation projects will go solar by March 2027, he said.

"By that time, we will complete all the solar projects on lift irrigation schemes and farmers will get electricity required round the clock. The state is currently giving subsidies on electricity to farmers which will decrease in the state once we shift to solar power. This will also help in decreasing the load on industrial and residential consumers," he said.

State Water Resources Minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said, "The CM is taking efforts to make the state drought-free. The water of western rivers is to be brought in Marathwada. Additional water will be made available for the Beed district also." Environment and Climate Change Minister Pankaja Munde also spoke on the occasion.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)