Khammam: The farmers in the seven mandals of Khammam district which had been transferred to the jurisdiction of Andhra Pradesh are in a fix over whom to approach to seek compensation to the crop loss they had incurred due to the recent floods. Chilli and cotton crops were damaged due to the floods and they want to approach the government to pour out their woes.
These seven mandals were under the purview of Pinapaka, Aswaraopet and Bhadrachalam Assem-bly constituencies before being transferred to Andhra Pradesh. The mandals were shifted to the governance of Andhra Pradesh to facilitate construction of the multi-purpose Polavaram project. Banks in their villages had not extended crop loans to these farmers though their lands would not get submerged under the Polavaram project.
However, MLAs of Pinapaka and Aswaraopet Payam Venkateswarlu and Thati Venkaeswarlu and Khammam MP Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy visited the flood-affected areas and interacted with the farmers. The farmers demanded that the leaders whom they had voted to power should continue as their elected representatives till 2019 as they can approach them for government aid.
P. Sankara Rao, a farmer from Velierpad said, “We lost cotton and chilli crops in the recent floods and do not know whom to approach seeking compensation. Our villages have been merged with the Andhra Pradesh government but the leaders whom we had elected are stuck to Telangana. We want the same leaders whom we had elected to continue as our representatives till 2019,” he said.
Crops in Maredubaka and Vinjaram in Kukkunoor mandal, Medipalli, Vepakagommu, D Kothagudem and Rudramkota in Velier mandal were damaged due to floods. N Rama Rao, a farmer belonging to Velierpad, said bank officials were not showing interest in extending loans to them.
Khammam MP P. Srinivasa Reddy said they were planning to submit a memorandum to the Governor soon on the issue seeking a solution to the issue. Farmers are worried as they had suffered crop loss. “They want us to continue as their representatives to take their problems to the notice of AP government.”
