Why Maharashtra villagers erected banner declaring their village 'for sale'
What's the story
Residents of Tulshi village in Maharashtra's Solapur district have launched a unique protest against their ongoing water crisis. The villagers have put up a sign declaring their village "for sale," with the price being water. The protest by 7,000 residents comes after years of government plans and assurances have failed to provide relief from the severe water shortage. They have been relying entirely on water tankers as farms and wells have dried up.
Project delays
Villagers blame incomplete excavation work
The villagers blame the incomplete excavation work on the Sina-Madha Lift Irrigation Scheme for their plight.
Tulshi sarpanch Sharad More said, "Though the canals of the Sina-Madha scheme pass close to the village, we don't benefit from it. By putting up the board saying 'Village for Sale, Price: Water,' we are trying to draw the government's attention to our plight."
He added that around 800m of excavation work near the seventh and eighth outlets has been pending for 26 years.
Protest actions
Various forms of protest
In a bid to highlight their plight, the villagers have resorted to various forms of protest. They started a hunger strike on September 14 and held a 'thali-naad' protest outside the Madha tehsil office.
They warned of intensifying their agitation if no resolution is reached.
Not only has the water crisis impacted their livelihoods, it has also affected their personal lives.
More claimed around 350 men in the village remained unmarried because no one was willing to give them brides.
Livelihood impact
Water crisis has impacted livelihoods
In 2024, the Krishna Valley Development Corporation had approved water supply from the Sina-Madha scheme to Tulshi and other drought-prone villages.
In January, it was announced that ₹90 lakh had been sanctioned for 2025-26 to supply water through a closed pipeline from the Sina Madha scheme to the Bhavani percolation tank in Tulshi.
However, villagers say they have only heard about sanctioned funds for a closed pipeline without any concrete action.
Official response
Minister promises help
Tulshi has 14 completely dry ponds and wells, and filling them could alleviate the shortage of drinking and irrigation water, villagers claimed.
Villagers claimed that they had regularly submitted representations to the administration and held protests, but no lasting solution had emerged.
State Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne has acknowledged the problem and promised all possible help to Tulshi village.