Parched Latur Now Expected to Foot a Rs 2-Crore Water Bill

The first train named Jaldoot rolled in from Miraj to Latur on 11 April.

Workers fill water in Central Railway train tanks to transport to drought-affected Latur District from Miraj station near Sangli on Sunday. (Photo: PTI)

After providing 6.20 crore litres of water to Latur, courtesy of the Centre, the Railways sent a bill of Rs 2.16 crore to the Latur’s District Collector Pandurang Pole for the service rendered.

Pole said this bill was received about ten days back, and the total bill till date will be about Rs 4 crore, reports The Indian Express.

We have sent the bill to the Latur district collector as per the administration’s request. It is up to the district administration whether to pay us or seek waiver of the amount, through proper channels. We sent the water transport bill as per their request.

SK Sood, General Manager, Central Railways

The Ministry of Railways later denied asking for payment from Latur.

A month after the first ‘water train’ named ‘Jaldoot’ reached Latur on 11 April, the Central Railways sent the bill to the district collector towards transport cost. After nine trips by a 10-wagon water train, a 50-wagon water train carrying 25 lakh litres of water was later pressed into service. 

It was in January 2013 that Maharashtra first considered water trains for parched regions of drought-hit Marathwada. Discussions were then held with the Railways to arrange wagons to transport 5 lakh litres of water daily.

Latur city, with a population of over four lakh, was crippled by drought conditions as the water levels in the dams quickly depleted as the year progressed.

(With inputs from PTI)