Rahul Gandhi visits drought-hit Maharashtra district

Mumbai, April 28 (IANS) Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi arrived at Satara district Saturday morning for a visit to drought-hit areas there, an official said.

Accompanied by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan and other senior ministers, Gandhi arrived from Mumbai in a helicopter. Satara is around 250 km south-east of the country's commercial capital.

Shortly after landing, Gandhi proceeded to the Zalshi Talao, which is one of the water sources in the district.

Last month, Chavan had visited the drought-hit areas and taken stock of the grim situation in Satara, which is his home district.

Gandhi is scheduled to travel to nearby Bijwadi to take a look at state government sponsored employment guarantee schemes being implemented there among the drought-affected people of Satara.

He will follow it up with a visit to the Pangari fodder depot, one of the important ones in the district which supplies fodder to a large cattle population in the region.

Ironically, Satara is home to the biggest water supply project of Maharashtra, the Koyna Dam. But, barely a few kilometres away, there is acute scarcity of water virtually eight months in a year.

Gandhi arrived on a two-day visit to Maharashtra Friday morning and spent the day meeting party activists to assess the Congress strengths and weaknesses in the key state ruled by the party.