- Balotra faces flooding from polluted Jojari river carrying industrial waste from Jodhpur and Pali
- Congress criticised BJP minister K K Vishnoi for blaming gods instead of addressing the man-made crisis
- Contaminated water from Jojari river floods homes, farmland, and buildings during monsoon rains
Addressing a question on the issue of waterlogging an polluted water entering homes and fields in Balotra area in Barmer district, Rajasthan Minister of State for Industry and Commerce K K Vishnoi on Saturday said that every time the chief minister offers prayers to Lord Krishna, it rains so heavily that he is compelled to request Lord Indra to slow it down.
Criticising the minister's comments, the Congress said it was ridiculous to shift responsibility of a man-made crisis to Gods.
"In the district we are talking about, Barmer-Balotra, "Lord Indra is very generous. Whenever a BJP government is formed and our chief minister prays to Lord Krishna in Bharatpur, there is such heavy rainfall here that the chief minister has to request Lord Indra to ease the rain, so that people can carry on with their lives," Vishnoi said during his Barmer visit.
Balotra has been gripped by the persistent problem of polluted water flowing through Jojari river. The river, which carries industrial waste from factories in Jodhpur and Pali, overflows during monsoon, inundating villages in Balotra with blackish, foul-smelling water.
Criticising Vishnoi's remarks, Congress MLA from Barmer's Baytoo constituency Harish Choudhary said that shifting responsibility of a man-made crisis to gods was ridiculous.
"The minister has not just diverted the real issue but has also implicated that the government is incapable of addressing it and only prayers can help. This is ridiculous," the former minister told PTI.
Choudhary claimed that areas near the Jojari river are submerged, and contaminated water enter homes, farmlands and other buildings. The problem worsens when the river swells during rains.
Locals backed this, saying that they have been affected by the problem for several years now, and no concrete action has been taken yet to stop the discharge of pollutants from factories in Jodhpur and Pali into the river.
"The situation had sparked protests in the affected villages several times. Many families had to shift out of their homes due to flooding and health hazards," said a local, adding that a 100-kilometre stretch from Jodhpur to Barmer has been affected.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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