VIJAYAWADA: Irrigation minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao said hurdles for the construction of the Polavaram Right Main Canal in the district have been overcome with farmers voluntarily coming forward to give their lands after being persuaded to do so by chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Speaking to mediapersons here Sunday, he said discussions between district officials and farmers have yielded results. Accepting the offered price and package, farmers have given 1,200 acres of the land needed in the district. Farmers in the neighbouring West Godavari district had also given 600 acres. “They have understood the importance of the project and government’s sincerity in keeping the promises made. They will be compensated as agreed upon at the earliest,” he said.
The minister said, now the works pertaining to the Pattiseema Lift Irrigation Scheme can be completed as scheduled and waters from Godavari be brought to Krishna River at Prakasam Barrage as promised. He said it has also paved the way for completing the Polavaram Project in four years’ time as promised.
Hitting at YSCR leaders’ criticism that the state government had mortgaged the irrigation needs of the state and failed to do what is needed for the state during discussions with the Krishna River Management Board, he said the government is more concerned than the most and will not let the state suffer injustice when it comes to Krishna waters.
“We have strived hard to ensure water for rabi crops and drinking water purposes in the state and prevented any further confrontation after the police of AP and Telangana had come almost to blows over release of water from the Nagarjuna Sagar project months ago. Now, we have striven to see that the state gets its required share of water by ensuring a working arrangement for sharing of Krishna water between both the states. State officials are arguing before Brijesh Kumar Tribunal to see that water needs of the projects in the state are not affected,” he said and dismissed criticism of YSRC chief Jagan and and others as unwarranted and baseless.
Collector Negotiated Deal
District collector Babu A thanked farmers in Nuzvid, Gannavaram mandals for agreeing to part with the lands for Polavaram Right Main Canal and help in making the long standing dream of the people of the region a reality. After successful discussions with farmers, he said he is happy over the outcome. He held discussions with farmers from different villages separately and negotiated the deal case by case. He promised that borewells and motors that were in the lands handed over would be provided in other lands by the government. Houses will be provided under Indira Awas Yojana for those who lost their houses. Crops and trees lost will be compensated and crop loan waiver for all the farmers who have given their lands will be implemented at one go.
