KARIMNAGAR: Without getting permission from the Union water resource ministry and National Green Tribunal, the state government was trying to supply water from Gayatri pumphouse by constructing a canal, alleged Congress senior leader and MLC T. Jeevan Reddy.
The Congress leaders, along with the farmers of Ramadagu, Gangadhara and Boinapally mandals who are about to lose their fields under construction works of the canal, staged a maha dharna under the leadership of TPCC official spokesperson Medipally Satyam here at Kondannapally flood canal in Kurikyala village of Gangadhara mandal in Karimnagar district on Tuesday.
Speaking at the dharna, Jeevan Reddy said for supplying 2 tmc ft of water from Gayatri pump to Mid Manair, the government earlier constructed a canal under which the farmers of various mandals lost their fields.
If the government constructed another canal for supplying additional tmc ft of water, the farmers who lost fields in the past would lose the remaining fields which they had and suffer a lot, he said.
The state government is not utilising the available 2 tmc ft of water properly, but was trying to supply additional tmc ft of water for grabbing the lands from poor farmers. Only for the sake of commissions, the state government was going to construct a canal with an investment of Rs 20,000 crore, he alleged.
In united Andhra Pradesh, the proposals were prepared for construction of a project with an estimation of Rs 38,000 crore for supplying water for about two lakh acres of land. The state government had taken up the same project in the name of KLIS with an estimation of Rs 1.2 lakh crore. This burden would fall on the public only, he pointed out.
Instead of constructing the project at Thummadihatti, Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao started the project at Medigadda. If two tmc ft of water was lifted continuously from Medigadda, the water could be supplied throughout July, August and September months to the farmers, he opined.
Only to supply water to the fields belonging to Chandrashekar Rao in Gajwel and Siddipet regions, he was doing injustice to the farmers of Choppadandi constituency by trying to construct a canal for supplying of additional tmc ft of water from Gayatri pumphouse, he criticised.
The NGT had not given permission for supply of third tmc ft of water, and if the state government tried to construct a canal for supplying of additional water, the Congress would declare a war against the government and intensify agitation, he warned.
The BJP leaders extended their support and participated in the maha dharna along with the farmers. The police interrupted and brought the situation under control by arresting the leaders.
BJP Kisan Morcha national general secretary Posani Sugunakar Rao, Congress leaders Mahipal Reddy, Buchhanna, Manohar, Venu, Thirupathi, Ramana Reddy and Anjaneyulu were among those who were present.
