Ashok Chavan ridicules net placed at Mantralaya to prevent suicides

The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Ashok Chavan on Tuesday ridiculed the state government for placing a safety net over the open space across the first floor of Mantralaya. The PWD department installed the net to prevent suicides after two individuals tried to jump off the corridors of the seven-storeyed building.

Chavan, who is touring the areas in Marathwada which were affected by hailstorms, told reporters that the situation was such today that safety nets would have to be set up not just at Mantralaya but everywhere. "Instead of doing this, the government should give jobs to educated unemployed and a good price for farm produce," he said. He alleged that despite over 24 hours having passed since the hailstorms in different parts of the state, no government official had visited the affected areas to conduct panchnamas or provide relief.

"About seven to eight people have reportedly died. It was expected that the government would take quick decisions to provide compensation. So far, no government official has visited these areas to conduct panchnamas and provide relief to the affected farmers," Chavan said. Chavan visited the family of Bhagirathi Kamble who died in the hailstorm at Chudava village in Parbhani district. "A primary damage assessment report on the hailstorms has stated that over 1.25 lakh hectare of crops were damaged in 1,086 villages of 11 districts," Agriculture Minister Pandurang Fundkar had said yesterday.

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