Visakhapatnam: The government has neglected irrigation projects in north coastal districts by allocating a meagre amount in the budget for pending projects.
Farmers and others sections of people are annoyed at the allotment and question how the crops can survive without sufficient water.
In the latest budget the irrigation sector has been completely sidelined.
Thotapally, a major project is allocated only Rs 20 crore where as it needs around Rs 200 crore. Acres of land have to be acquired from the farmers near the project. The government has to provide the rehabilitation to the villages which will be vacated because of the project. For all these activities it needs around Rs 200 crore but the government has granted only ten per cent of the requirement.
Similarly, Tarakarama teertha sagar in Vizianagaram district also requires to acquire the land from the farmers. But the government has allocated only Rs 78 lakh instead of Rs 60 crore. The other small irrigation projects like Jhanjavathi, Peddagedda, Vengalaraya Sagar and Thatipudi are neglected totally.
One of the biggest proposed project Uttarandhra Sravanthi received only Rs 3 crore. The project also aims to provide drinking water to around 30 lakh population around 1,200 villages. But it is also given low priority in the budget. Konam, is allotted only Rs 10 lakh, Pedderu received only Rs 5 lakh in the budget.
Mr R. Eswara Rao, Vyavasaya Karmika Sangham Vizianagaram district secretary said that before the elections N. Chandrababu Naidu repeatedly said that if he was elected he would give top priority to the agriculture sector and make the farmers happy.
Unfortunately that didn’t happen. Farmer is the backbone of society and deserves sufficient funds and support from the government, he said.
