Hyderabad: Govt must wake up to Palamuru woes

Hyderabad: Telangana State BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who is on the third day of his Praja Sangrama Yatra, on Friday, wrote an open letter to Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to come for discussion on the early completion of the pending irrigation projects in Mahbubnagar district. Sanjay Kumar claimed that he was touring the combined Mahbubnagar districts as part of his Praja Sangrama Yatra. "Wherever I go to the district, people and farmers highlight the water problems, migration and lack of livelihood opportunities in the district," he added. He said that the Praja Sangrama Yatra was intended to interact with people. To take stock of their problems and to bring them to the notice of the State government, he said. However, "your son KTR and TRS leaders have been spewing venom against the Yatra," he said.

He reminded KCR that he had represented the Mahbubnagar as its MP in 2009. "Besides, announcing to adopt it and ensure that there would not be water problem in the district and develop it in all sectors to make it migrations free district. However, none of your promises has been fulfilled," he pointed out.

The Karimnagar MP said that not a single irrigation project in Mahbunagar has been completed in the past eight years due to the negligence of the TRS government. But, the State government is claiming credit for the projects completed by earlier governments.

The BJP chief said that migration of thousands of people from Mahbunagar to different parts of the country continues. Lack of water left thousands of acres of arable lands uncultivated in the district, he said.

The State BJP chief reminded in his letter that it was mandatory for river waters to be diverted to other areas after fulfilling the needs of the people living in the places along the river course. However, the successive governments have neglected the Krishna river waters going beyond the Krishna Basin for the past 150 years.

Sanjay Kumar pointed out that the State government is not showing interest in completing the Palamuru-Ranga Reddy and Kalwakurthi lift irrigation projects to save farmers from the water woes in the district.

Similarly, the Narayanapet Kodangal lift irrigation project was scrapped and not a single drop of water is reaching the district from the Rajozlibanda project. Besides, no efforts were being made for the optimum utilisation of Nettempadu, Bhima, and Koilsagar irrigation projects, he alleged.

The State BJP chief also explained how Telangana has been deprived of its share of waters in the Krishna and Godavari rivers' water due to the negligence of the TRS led government forcing farmers in the Mahbunagar to dependent on the bore wells for cultivation. He stressed the need for a discussion on the negligence of the State government and discrimination towards Mahbunagar. He demanded early completion of the pending irrigation projects to prevent migrations and to create livelihood opportunities for the people in the district.