Shiv Sena minister blames crabs for breach in Ratnagiri's Tiware dam

Shiv Sena minister Tanaji Sawant. Pic/Twitter ANI

Just a few days ago, due to heavy downpour in Maharashtra, the Tiware dam in Ratnagiri district breached causing a flood-like situation in seven villages. Due to the dam breach, 12 houses in the area adjacent to the dam had washed away and the incident has claimed 18 lives so far.

Commenting on the same and suggesting a bizarre theory, Shiv Sena Minister in Maharashtra, Tanaji Sawant said that crabs are responsible for the dam burst incident in Ratnagiri which has claimed 18 lives so far. While speaking to the media, the Water Conservation Minister claimed that there were no breaches in the ill-fated Tiware Dam earlier with the reservoir storing water for the past 15 years.

"The dam was built in 2004 and there were no breaches ever... However, there is a huge problem of crabs in that dam and because of that the recent leakages took place," Sawant explained, reports IANS. The state minister states the incident as a "huge calamity" and said that 2 days before the incident, there was a massive downpour in that region, with a rainfall of 192 mm which raised the dam water level by 8 metres in just eight hours.

Sawant further said that the government was informed by the residents of Bhendewadi hamlet of the problems of breaches and the officials had taken action on it. In the meanwhile, taking a dig at the Sena minister Sawant, Nationalist Congress Party national spokesperson Nawab Malik termed Sawant's statement as "a shameful defence of his party (Shiv Sena) legislator who is the contractor for the dam."

Demanding a strict punishment Malik said, "You want to save a big, corrupt shark and blaming poor crabs? This cannot be tolerated. There must be an enquiry and he must be punished." Suhas Khandagale, chief of the Village Development Committee of Ratnagiri said that time has come to throw the crabs at the minister's home now.

"When the crabs were gnawing away at the dam, did he (Minister) go there for underwater shooting? This is the limit of playing around with the peoples' sentiments..." Khandagale said.

During the heavy showers that lashed the city in the past few days, at least 35 people were killed across Maharashtra while 23 died in Mumbai alone in various accidents caused by the heavy downpour. Fourteen people were reported dead in other rain-related incidents across the state in the past 48 hours.

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With inputs from IANS

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