KURNOOL: Hundreds of farmers and Rayalaseema activists, led by the Rayalaseema Steering Committee, staged a protest at Sangameswara temple ghat on Saturday demanding the construction of a barrage-cum-bridge on the Krishna River instead of the iconic bridge.
They visited the spot, where the Centre has proposed to construct an iconic bridge across the river at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore. Earlier, they held a massive rally and raised slogans against the State government for ignoring the irrigation needs of the backward Rayalaseema region.
Addressing the gathering, steering committee convener and former MLA Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy said the proposed iconic bridge will only serve as a major tourist attraction or it may be a good location for film shooting. Except that it will not serve any other purpose, he felt.
Finding fault with the Chief Ministers of both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana for lack of initiative to meet the irrigation needs of the backward region by utilising Krishna water in an optimum manner, Byreddy underlined the need to construct a weir at Siddeswaram as it will stabilise flood flow upstream of Srisailam reservoir and help conserve flood water.
Further, it will also reduce stress and impact on the Srisailam reservoir, which is structurally becoming weak. The barrage similar to Prakasam Barrage in Vijayawada will help meet the irrigation and drinking water needs of the Rayalaseema people, he said.