Mohan Dharia quits waste land board

Vanrai founder Mohan Dharia and a friend of the Gandhi Museum Pune, has resigned from the post of chief advisor on State government’s Waste Land Development Board. Speaking to Newsline, Dharia said he sent the resignation to the State Government on December 23 to protest against Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and State government’s apathy towards development of waste land and waiving loans of farmers.

Dharia said, when the board was formed, it was to work on two aspects, first on water harvesting and secondly on development of waste land. He said after the Democratic Front came to power, the government launched the tanker-free Maharashtra mission. However all-out efforts were not made to implement the mission. He went on an indefinite hunger strike on the issue of farmer’s suicides. Deshmukh had promised to waive farmers’ loans and to provide loans to farmers at four per cent interest rate, but later denied having given any such promise.

Courtesy Express News Service , December 28, 2006

On behalf of FOGM, Delia Maria visited Mohan Dharia when he was recovering after his fast in Poona Hospital and presented him a banner supporting his stand on the farmers’ suicides issue.