VIJAYAWADA: The Krishna Delta Parirakshana Samithi (KDPS) has demanded that the government write off all farm loans. It also wants the Krishna River Management Board to be vested with judicial powers.
Speaking at a round table meeting on farm loan waiver and irrigation water to the Krishna delta here Friday, former minister Vatti Vasantha Kumar demanded that the state government take steps for waiver of farm loans immediately as any further delay in this regard would cause hardships to the farmers to avail of fresh loans. Coming down heavily on the Chandrababu Naidu-led TDP government for its failure to fulfill the poll promises, he asked the government to take steps for release of water to the Krishna delta. “The farmers have pinned hopes on loan waiver,” he said and wondered why the government was delaying its implementation.
Saying that the waiver of farm loans was not possible, YSRCP state leader Ummareddy Venakateswarlu criticised Chandrababu Naidu for making false promises only to become chief minister. He said the TDP government should fulfill its promise of writing off farms loans worth `87,000 crore.
Krishna Delta Parirakshana Samiti president and PCC secretary Kolanukonda Sivaji said that there was no clarity in some of the schemes announced by the TDP government and added that finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu was deceiving the farmers with false statements. He also said that there was a need for review of water allotment to the Krishna delta as the upper riparian states including Telangana, Karnataka and Maharashtra were causing hurdles for water release.
Senior Congress leader Devineni Rajashekar aka Nehru, said “Chandrababu Naidu, who claims himself to be a great leader with vast experience in politics, has failed to provide clarification on the loan waiver scheme till date.”
The KDPS also demanded a white paper on farm loan waiver.
Several other leaders from the Congress and YSRC, along with members of the Krishna Delta Parirakshana Samiti, participated in the discussion and decided to submit a memorandum seeking clarity on the loan waiver scheme from the TDP government.