After the UP government rejected the centre's move to send 5 lakh litres of water via the Railways to drought-hit Bundelkhand on 5 May, Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu said that he doesn't want politics over water.
We do not want to do politics over water, we’ll help state govts in any way we can: Suresh Prabhu, Railway Minister pic.twitter.com/MiiYH94EgZ
— ANI (@ANI_news) May 5, 2016
The Samajwadi Party has alleged that the centre had made the offer in lieu of the January 2017 assembly elections in UP.
"The ministry made us the offer but we told them that the current situation does not merit the interventions that were needed in Marathwada. We have asked them to supply water when we will raise a demand," the Times of India quoted Suresh Chandra, principal secretary revenue, government of UP as saying.
The daily quoted the UP government as saying that it was making adequate arrangements to meet the water scarcity in Bundelkhand.
At several panchayats in the region, the government has made water tankers available to meet the water shortage.
The government also claimed that most of the hand pumps in the region are functional and that efforts were on to repair the broken ones.