No irrigation, farmers put up Maharashtra village ‘for sale’
Farmers in the Tulshi village of Maharashtra have put up 'for sale' posters to protest the government's failure to provide irrigation water for 25 years. Despite being near a major irrigation scheme, the village remains neglected, leading to severe water shortages and threats of collective self-immolation.
Why it matters
This highlights the ongoing struggle for basic infrastructure in rural India and the extreme measures communities take when political promises remain unfulfilled.
TULSHI/SOLAPUR: ‘Village for sale’, says the poster in Tulshi village in Solapur district. The startling, bold words express anger, sarcasm and a deep disquiet among residents waiting for decades for irrigated water.Sarpanch Sharad More said, “Anyone wanting to buy our village can step forward. For outsiders, the poster is funny, but it reflects how govt has been fooling us for 25 years.”Tulshi is a mere nine km from Sina-Madha lift irrigation scheme, but gets none of its benefits. Residents said they have been left out of the canal network that draws water from Ujani dam and supplies it to several neighbouring villages.The scheme became operational in 2000. Other villages cultivate water-intensive cash crops like sugar cane, vegetables and fruit plantations, including grapes and pomegranates, but Tulshi waits for uncertain rainfall.The village is the last settlement in Madha tehsil.
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