Centre assures assistance for drought-hit Maharashtra farmers

MUMBAI: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today assured Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that the committee headed by him would soon consider the state's memorandum on the drought situation and release maximum-possible assistance, an official statement today said.

Fadnavis, who is in Delhi, also requested Singh to deploy additional ITBP platoons in Naxal-affected areas and the latter agreed, a statement from the Chief Minister's office said.

Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu told Fadnavis that he had constituted a committee under Justice (retd) Padmanabh for tariff fixation for Mumbai metro, so the state would now inform the Bombay High Court about this and seek a stay to its order allowing increased fares, the statement said.

Fadnavis also met the Union Environment Minister Prakash Javadekar regarding the clearances for coastal road in Mumbai, and the ministry appeared positive on the issue, it said.

Environment Ministry officials however advised the state government to work on some safeguards. "We will work on it to make coastal road a reality," Fadnavis was quoted as saying.

The ministry was of the view that the current high tide line should not be changed, the statement said.