People’s representatives from Kurnool district are preparing to confront chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy on Saturday with their request for release of water to Velugodu project through Pothireddypadu head regulator.
They are even preparing to stage a dharna in front of CM’s cabin, if necessary, to press their point and see that water from Srisailam is released to their district instead of Krishna Delta farmers through Nagarjuna Sagar project.
“We have already explained the need for releasing water to Velugodu project to the chief minister on Thursday and save the withering crops in the district,” Allagadda YSCRP MLA B Shoba Nagi Reddy told Express.
She, along with ministers TG Venkatesh and Erau Pratap Reddy, met the chief minister on Thursday and tried to impress upon him the importance of releasing Srisailam waters for the benefit of Kurnool farmers.
The chief minister, however, remained non-committal. “He said he would discuss the issue with concerned officials and take necessary decision,” the YSRCP MLA said.
When contacted, officials said that they were yet to get any direction from the state government with regard to release of water from Srisailam.
According to sources in agriculture department, encouraged by recent rains, farmers in Kurnool district had taken up cultivations in 4.35 lakh hectares against the normal cropping area of 5.52 lakh hectares. It includes groundnut in 1.5 lakh hectares, cotton in 1 lakh hectares, paddy in 1.80 lakh hectares. As there were no rains for last 20 days and no water available for irrigation, crops in several acres were withering out, worrying the farmers.
Having the same contention, leaders from Telangana region on one side and from Krishna and Guntur districts on other are also bringing pressure on the government for release of water to their respective regions on priority basis.