SIDDIPET: The inauguration of Kondapochamma Reservoir with the release of water from Makruk pump house by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, in the presence of Tridandi Srimannarayana Chinna Jeeyar Swamy on Friday, brought good tidings for farmers.
Elated by the spectacle of waters gushing from the pump house which would soon fill the 15 tmcft capacity reservoir, the last project in the State government’s flagship Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS), the Chief Minister said that he has one scheme up his sleeve for the benefit of farmers that would stun the entire world.
A leader who is used to keeping his cards close to his chest, the Chief Minister maintained secrecy over the manna that he wants to offer to the farmers and said that before long they would get to know about it. This has led to speculation among farmers that the Chief Minister might in fact announce a free supply of fertilisers and seeds, but there was no confirmation from any quarter as he has not yet discussed it with any officials.
The Chief Minister, sometime in the past, while speaking in the Assembly, had said that he had several schemes in the pipeline for farmers and if he let even one such scheme out, the Opposition would have to run for cover. Stating that farmers have risen to the level of creating miracles, he said that he had brought about development by according highest priority to the irrigation sector.
KCR hopes farmers would raise crops worth Rs 1L crore
Referring to the State’s regulated farming policy, he said that it was not something that he was thrusting on the farmers. Playing on Telugu words to convey the meaning, he said: “Idi niyantrita saagu matrame, niyantrutva saagu kaadu (This is just regulated cultivation, not a dictatorial one).” It is also a reply to the Opposition that accuses him of acting like a dictator, deciding which crop a farmer should grow.
Since morning, the CM appeared delighted and after watching the swirling waters flow down to the reservoir from the twin pumps, he wanted the scribes to watch them closely since they resemble Niagara falls. The Chief Minister, who has already expressed happiness over the FCI procuring 53 lakh tonnes of rice from Telangana, hoped that the farmers would be able to raise crops worth Rs 1 lakh crore in the near future. It may be mentioned that the FCI has so far procured a total of 83 lakh tonnes of rice from framers all over the country.
The CM described the inauguration of Kondapochamma Sagar as a momentous occasion for the State as it has brought Godavari up, to a gradient of 680 metres from the sea-level, through multi-stage lifting with pumping taking place in 10 points. Recalling the State in which Telangana was about six years ago, the Chief Minister said writers then used to come out with poems on the perennial drought that used affect the State. “Now, poets will shower praise on how verdant Telangana has become with a green canopy,” he said.