ONGOLE: YSRC Kandukur MLA M Mahidhar Reddy on Tuesday led a rally at Rallapadu project site in Lingasamudram Mandal of Kandukur division in Prakasam district against the ongoing works for diverting water to Kamadhenu project in Nellore district.
Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy, who came to know about his MLA’s protest, intervened immediately and asked the latter to call off the protest with an assurance that the works will be stopped.
The works were taken up to divert water from Rallapadu project based on a GO issued in 2017 by the then TDP government.
According to Mahidhar Reddy, Rallapadu project gets 1.5 tmc water from Somasila project over a period of four months to distribute water to the ayacut under the project and supply drinking water to nearby villages. However, in 2017, the then TDP government issued a GO to divert five lakh litres of water on a daily basis to Kamadhenu project in Nellore district.
After protests, the then water resources minister Devineni Umamaheswara Rao had assured to stop the works.
However, the officials had once again started the works to divert water from the Rallapadu project. “Ramp works are being taken up to divert water from the bottom of the project so that water can be provided to Kamadhenu project even if the water levels reach dead storage level. This is nothing but theft of our water,’’ the MLA maintained.
He said that 1.5 tmc water is allocated after considering the needs of the ayacut and for providing drinking water to nearby 80 villages.
“How will the officials compensate for the share of diverted water?’’ he questioned. The MLA also alleged that the project officials are showing negligence in proper maintenance of the project.
Mahidhar Reddy called for a massive rally on Tuesday morning from the project site to the river bed where the works are going on.
Matter of fact
Rallapadu gets 1.5 tmc water from Somasila in four months. It is being supplied to ayacut to meet drinking water needs in nearby villages.
In 2017, TDP govt issued a GO to divert five lakh litres of water on a daily basis to Kamadhenu project in Nellore.
According to Mahidhar, ramp works are being taken up to divert water from the bottom of the project so that water can be provided to Kamadhenu even if the water levels reach dead storage level.