The Akhil Maharashtra Dhangar Samaj (AMDS) staged a road blockade at Lanzi Chowk in the Waluj area on Monday to press various demands of the Dhangar community.
The AMDS has been demanding that the Dhangar community should be included in the ST category for the past many years. However, the demand has not yet been fulfilled. The government has been apathetic towards their demands, the agitators claimed.
Hence, the community members gathered at the National Highway at Waluj and staged a road blockade to grab the attention of the government to their demands. The Dhangar community members along with goats and sheep gathered at the venue in large numbers and agitated. The agitators sat on the road and did not allow the vehicles to pass. The vehicles had to wait for a long time, while the leaders delivered speeches. Arun Rodge, Sarjerao Bond, Bajirao Chormare and others shed light on the plight of the Dhangar community and demanded that they should get reservations as part of the ST category. The politicians take advantage of the community during the elections and do not give the members their rights, they alleged. They warned the leaders that they should not henceforth mislead the community and immediately implement the reservation policy.
Waluj Police Station’s Senior Inspector Rajendra Sahane and his team including PSI Ramesh Rathod, PSI Sandeep Wagh, Jalil Khan Pathan, Shankar Shirsath D M Gadekar and others deployed a strict police bandobast at the agitation spot. The agitators submitted a memorandum of demands to PI Sahane.
Yogehs Argade, Ramesh Argade, Sachin Rahatwad, Madhukar Hande, Suryabhan Kajle, Navnath Vaidya, Shrirang Argade and others from Waluj, Shendurwada, Savkheda, Turkabad, Ambelohal, Ranjangaon, Dahegaon Bangla and other places participated in the agitation.
Keep village and mind always clean: Patil
“The government has started ‘Stant Gadgebaba Gram Swachata Abhiyan’ to keep the villages clean due to which there is a competition among the villages for cleanliness. But, villages should not be cleaned only for winning competitions, but every villager has the responsibility to keep their village and mind clean,” State Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil opined. He was speaking at the prize distribution function of the state-level Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj Gram Swachata competition under Sant Gadgebaba Gramswachhata Abhiyan held at Sant Eknath Rangmandir on Monday. The winners of the competitions held during 2018-19, 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 were given prizes by the dignitaries.
District Guardian Minister Abdul Sattar presided over while Housing Minister Atul Save, Rajya Sabha MP Dr Bhagwat Karad, Water Supply Department’s Principal Secretary Sanjay Khandare, Project Director E Ravindran, Additional Director Shakhar Raudal, Divisional Commissioner Dilip Gawade, District Collector Dilip Swami, ZP CEO Vikas Meena and other dignitaries were present.
Patil further said the award given to the villages for cleanliness enhances their prosperity and happiness. The success of the Abhiyan is that the younger generation is participating enthusiastically in keeping their villages clean. The work done with unity takes the villages towards progress. Hence, the villagers should be aware of their responsibilities and should do their duties to the nation. They should pay the taxes regularly so that they can get better facilities from the gram panchayats. The government is planning to take this competition to every nook and corner of the state and increase the prize amount, he said.
Sattar said that the competition aims to create competition among the villages for cleanliness and take the villages on the path of progress. The villages must participate in the competition with a sporting spirit.
Ravindran made an introductory speech while Khandare informed about the work of the Ministry of Water Supply and Sanitation. Vijay Kadam conducted the proceedings of the function. The villages and the sarpanch of the winning villages were present.
