Nellore: Hundreds of farmers participated in a protest held under the auspices of Venkatagiri Telugu Desam legislator Kurugondla Ramakrishna at Kandaleru against diversion of 6.3 tmc ft of water from Kandaleru to address the water needs of Chittoor.
Telugu Desam politburo member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy, TD district president Beeda Ravichandra, Gudur TD MLA Balli Durga Prasad, Sullurpeta MLA Parasa Ratnam, farmers’ wing state vice-president Bezawada Obul Reddy took part in the protest and addressed the gathering.
The leaders said that they are not against giving water to Chittoor, provided there is sufficient water allocation to the project.
They expressed serious concern over the plans to draw water from dead storage level while pointing to the need to maintain minimum water to ensure groundwater recharge and also to deal with emergency situations.
The leaders pointed out that Kandaleru, which is part of Telugu Ganga, is primarily meant to address the water needs of Chennai apart from cultivation needs to the extent of 5.8 lakh acre in Kurnool, Kadapa, Nellore and Chittoor districts.
Obul Reddy has expressed surprise over taking water from Kandaleru through pipeline spending over Rs 6000 crore, while stressing that the amount is enough to complete Handri-Neeva project which can take care of all the water needs of Chittoor. Ramakrishna questioned the rationale behind opting for lift irrigation scheme.
“There is an allocation of 4.5 tmc ft for drinking water supply to Srikalahasti and Tirupati towns from Kandaleru. We don’t mind if you take another 4 tmc ft in similar manner through canal. There is no meaning in pumping the water from Kandaleru to Piler, which is 250 feet above Kandaleru,” he asserted.
Durga Prasad Rao dwelt at length over incomplete branch canals under Telugu Ganga.
He took a dig on finance minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy for giving his nod to the scheme while recalling his famous indefinite fast against water release to Chennai from Kandaleru in 1999.
“Wielding his pistol, Ramanarayana Reddy had threatened to commit suicide if water is released to Chennai. It seems he has forgotten the episode and the pistol might be rusted by now,” the legislator quipped.
Almost every TD leader slammed the finance minister for backing the scheme knowing fully-well about its implications and impact on the farmers of Nellore.
CM plans to corner Naidu on water
Nellore: During a recent encounter with TD politburo member Somireddy Chandramohan Reddy at the marriage of Mahidhar Reddy’s daughter, CM Kiran Kumar Reddy had asked Somireddy whether the objections being raised by him against giving water to Chittoor from Kandaleru dam are his own or his party.
“The CM noticed and came towards me while returning from the marriage hall and shook my hands. When he asked about our protest against the scheme, I told him that we are not against water supply to Chittoor but opposing the move to draw water from dead storage since it is breaking the system. The CM said that he would withdraw the scheme if I can make Chandrababu Naidu give a statement that he is against drawing water to Chittoor from dead storage. He left smiling thereafter,” Chandramohan Reddy said while addressing farmers during a protest against water scheme to Chittoor at Kandaleru on Friday.
The Congress leaders should know that Kandaleru dam is part of an inter-state project- Telugu Ganga, Reddy reminded.
According to Reddy there is no catchment area for Kandaleru and it is purely dependant on water from Somasila project. As of now the water allocation for minor irrigation, drinking water needs of Chennai city, Gudur, Venkatagiri, Sullurpeta, Tirupati and Srikalahasti, industries, dead storage and evaporation loss is to the extent of 76.25 tmc ft.
However the water storage level is only 68 tmc ft in the reservoir. In this backdrop there is no scope for any new allocation from Kandaleru, Reddy asserted.
