AMRP flood canal farmers stage dharna

Madugulapally (Nalgonda): Farmers from the low-level flood canal of AMRP (Alimineti Madhava Reddy Project) in the Madugulapally mandal of Nalgonda district staged a protest demanding water for their crops. The protest took place on the Narketpalli-Addanki highway, leading to a significant traffic jam. Tensions escalated between the farmers and the police, resulting in verbal altercations and some pushing and shoving.

The farmers expressed their frustration, stating that due to the overgrowth of wild plants and palm trees in the canal, water was not reaching the lower areas. They criticised the government and officials for neglecting their issues, leading to their paddy fields, irrigated athrough borewells, drying up. Despite a large influx of floodwater into Nagarjuna Sagar recently, the release of water into AMRP canals and distributaries was delayed. Former MLA of Nalgonda, Kancharla Bhupal Reddy, submitted a petition to the Collector, urging the release of water and warning that they would protest alongside the farmers if the issue wasn’t addressed. The government quickly responded by initiating the water release. However, due to poor canal maintenance, the water did not flow properly, prompting farmers in the lower areas to protest.

Upon learning about the farmers’ agitation, Collector C. Narayana Reddy and Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy assured them that the issue would be resolved swiftly.