Mumbai, Aug 5 (IANS) Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday approved the establishment of Maharashtra State River Rejuvenation Authority (MSRRA). The Authority will play a developmental role in maintaining and revitalising the natural flow of rivers, and focus on reducing pollution and achieving rejuvenation of rivers.

Environment Minister Pankaja Munde gave a detailed presentation on the structure and concept of the Authority. She mentioned that important tasks like approving ‘DPR’ (detailed project report) and basin management plan for river rejuvenation, resolving issues related to encroachment, power, land acquisition, and recommending selected projects for national schemes will be carried out by the Authority.

The Chief Minister will be the Chairman of the Authority, and the Environment Minister will be the Vice Chairman.

A State Level Executive Committee will be functioning under the Chairmanship of the Environment Minister. This State Level Committee will include technical experts, financial and legal advisors, Member Secretary of Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) and expert members from prestigious institutions like IIT, said Minister Munde.

The Authority will undertake extensive work to achieve sustainable revitalisation of the rivers in the state. A dedicated secretariat headed by the Member Secretary of the Maharashtra Pollution Control Board will also be set up for day-to-day operations.

Meanwhile, Water Resources (Vidarbha, Tapi, Konkan Irrigation Development Corporation) and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan on Saturday instructed that the work of under-construction irrigation projects should be completed at a speedy pace and within the time limit to increase the irrigation area in the state and ensure sustainable water availability for agriculture.

“The irrigation area will increase due to the work approved in the meeting. These works should be planned meticulously and prioritised accordingly. Along with this, the department should plan meticulously for the recovery of water strips and take action accordingly,” said the minister at the meeting.

In the 87th meeting of the Governing Board of the Vidarbha Irrigation Development Corporation held today, 42 topics were discussed in detail, in the 71st meeting of the Governing Board of the Tapi Irrigation Development Board, 25 topics were discussed, and in the 88th meeting of the Governing Board of the Konkan Irrigation Development Corporation, 18 topics were discussed in detail, said the minister.

–IANS

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