Crabs thrown at Maharashtra Minister’s house over dam breach remark

Pune:  Nationalist Congress Party workers on Tuesday threw crabs at Maharashtra Water Conservation Minister Tanaji Sawant’s house here in protest against his recent remarks on Tiware dam breach that killed at least 19 persons.

The incident went viral on social media.

#WATCH: NCP workers stage protest and threw crabs outside the residence of Maharashtra Water Conservation Minister Tanaji Sawant in Pune against his statement on Ratnagiri's Tiware dam breach. The Minister had said that crabs were responsible for the breach in the dam. pic.twitter.com/7wbsT8yGIs

— ANI (@ANI) July 9, 2019

The Tiware dam in Ratnagiri district developed a breach on the night of July 2 due to heavy rains. The breach caused a flood-like situation in seven downstream villages.

A total of 23 people had gone missing on the night of the incident. So far, as many as 19 dead bodies have been recovered from the area.

Reacting to the tragedy, the Minister gave a bizarre explanation blaming the carbs for the breach in the dam.

“The wall of the dam was weakened by a large number of crabs around the dam and after it was pointed out to the government officials, some remedial measures were taken up,” Sawant told reporters.

The Minister went on to say that whatever is destined to happen will happen.

“It was a tragedy, but I think you cannot change your fate. Whatever is going to happen, will happen. It was a kind of natural calamity,” he said

The villagers claimed that there were already several cracks in the dams and the government neglected their pleas for maintenance.

According to reports, the villagers spotted cracks in the dam in November last year and reported the same to the concerned district authorities. However, the officials didn’t pay heed to their repeated complaints.

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