ZP meet asks govt to announce Prakasam as backward dist

Ongole: The Prakasam Zilla Parishad general body demanded that the government announce the district as backward district. The Zilla Parishad chairman Edara Haribabu also announced that the general body passed a resolution demanding the government announce all mandals in the district as drought-hit.

In the general body meeting on Thursday, Kondepi MLA Dola Veeranjaneya Swamy said that scanty rain was recorded in all the mandals in the district and demanded that the government should announce all the mandals as drought-hit. He said that the government is making arrangements to provide water for agriculture through the Nagarjunasagar right canal and keeping the rain guns available for farmers.

Parchur MLA Eluri Sambasiva Rao said that the NSP right canal is providing water for 65,000 acres and asked the farmers to utilise. it. Markapur MLA Janke Venkata Reddy said that the district is backward in all aspects than Anantapur district. He said that the farmers in Darsi and Tripurantakam area are not cultivating for the past two years and the bores in Markapuram and Yerragondapalem are completely dried up and no water is available even after digging up to 800 feet.

Santanutalapadu MLA Adimulapu Suresh said that the district has 44 per cent less rain fall and there is no water from NSP canal for the last two kharif seasons. He also said that the western area in the district has no drinking water.

The MLAs, MLCs and the general body members supported the resolution demanding the government announce the district as backward and drought- hit district. Zilla Parishad Chairman Edara Haribabu said that the resolution was passed and the house approved Rs 353 crore income and Rs 347 expenditure as the budget estimations for 2017-18.