Efforts to strengthen the Water Conservation Department stall as the Agriculture Department resists transferring staff, delaying key rural projects.
Carved out as an independent ministry eight years ago, the Maharashtra Water Conservation Department is still waiting for the transfer of nearly 9,000 personnel from its parent Agriculture Department, which is reluctant to give away its staff citing paucity of workforce.
At present, the water conservation department has around 4,000 personnel and requires around 9,000 more, sources said.
Till May 2017, the two departments were part of a single ministry named Agriculture, Soil and Water Conservation. But after its division, the agriculture department has shown reluctance to release even 2,000 officials, citing acute staff shortages.
"There are 27,560 total sanctioned posts in the agriculture department, but only 19,000 are filled. If 9,000 staff members are transferred (to the water conservation department), the agriculture department would be severely crippled," a senior official said.
When the water conservation department came into being in 2017, BJP leader Ram Shinde, who was junior minister at that time, was elevated as cabinet minister to head the new department.
The move gained significant attention under the incumbent chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, particularly due to his government's flagship 'Jalyukta Shivar' scheme, which aimed to improve water availability through artificial farm ponds, deepening river beds, and constructing check dams to boost water percolation.
Despite the state cabinet's approval for transferring 9,000 officials, the decision was never implemented.
"After several rounds of talks, the water conservation department went for a compromise by agreeing to receive just 2,000 personnel, but even that has not been honoured," an official revealed.
With no clear resolution in sight, a senior official from the water conservation department indicated that the ministry might need to redraw its staffing structure and begin fresh recruitment.
"This will be a long process. Till then, many of the department's works could be severely impacted," he added