Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Thursday said the state government will launch a fortnight-long service campaign between September 17 and October 2 that is expected to benefit at least 50 lakh people.
The 'Rashtraneta to Rashtrapita Seva Pakhwada' will be inaugurated in Pune in the presence of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, he added.
"The initiative will focus on welfare-oriented programmes with special emphasis on farmers and the needy, and nearly 50 lakh people are expected to benefit from it. The first five days of the campaign will be dedicated to farm roads and Shiv-Panand roads.
These roads will be measured, encroachments removed, and most importantly, they will be assigned official numbers for the first time," he said.
"The government's aim was to ensure every farm has a 12-foot-wide access road. There will be no fees for road measurement, nor will farmers bear the cost of police protection during removal of encroachments. Once the measurement is done, instead of boundary stones, trees will be planted along the roads to mark them permanently," the minister added.
Elected representatives and officials from the panchayat to Parliament level will participate in this campaign, he said.
Between September 22 and 27, a special drive will be undertaken for those who constructed houses on government land before 2011, Bawankule said.
"Such encroachments will be surveyed and legal titles will be given. Efforts will be made to distribute property cards through the settlement commissioner's office. The 'Rashtraneta to Rashtrapita Seva Pakhwada' reflects the government's policy of ensuring basic amenities for farmers," Bawankule said.
Every farmer must have electricity, water and a road up to his field and this campaign is a step in that direction, he added.
"The committees headed by MLAs will be set up at the district level to decide on issues related to farm roads. The campaign will not be limited to Pune but will also see special programmes in Wardha's Paunar and the Nashik division. Guardian ministers will lead the launch of activities in their districts," Bawankule said.
