Mumbai, March 24 Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Tuesday claimed that law and order had deteriorated in Maharashtra, citing a case of six minor girls going missing in the Chandrapur district.
Raising the issue in the state assembly through an adjournment motion, he demanded that a special search team be immediately constituted, and called for awareness measures in schools and colleges to ensure the safety of girls.
Wadettiwar referred to a case at Brahmapuri in Chandrapur where six minor girls, studying in classes 10 and 12, went missing recently.
"Only two of the girls have been traced so far, while four remain missing. The government spends crores on CCTV systems, but where are these mechanisms at the taluka level?" he asked.
The Congress leader further questioned police preparedness, saying, "When girls are being abducted and their mobile phones are switched off, what exactly is the police machinery doing?"
Wadettiwar also highlighted the impact of unseasonal rains and hailstorms in the Marathwada region, stating that thousands of hectares of rabi crops had been severely damaged in districts such as Nanded, Hingoli, Dharashiv and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
Farmers are reeling under losses due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms, yet the government is making "hollow claims" about loan waivers. In many places, even damage assessment has not begun, he claimed.
Two human deaths and 41 livestock fatalities had been reported due to the adverse weather conditions, he said, and demanded immediate financial assistance to affected farmers after conducting prompt surveys.
"Farmers are dying, girls are not safe, yet the government seems more focused on chasing self-styled godmen. Can it not hear the cries of distressed parents and farmers?" Wadettiwar said.
Notably, Nashik-based self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, who claimed to be a retired Merchant Navy officer and was known as "captain", was arrested on March 18 for rape and other offences on the complaint of a 35-year-old woman.