Farmers stage rasta roko

Bodhan (Nizamabad): Holding pesticide bottles in their hands, farmers staged a rasta roko near Salura Camp on national highway leading to Maharashtra in Bodhan mandal on Sunday, protesting against non-supply of water to Nizamsagar tail-end ayacut. They criticized Minister Pocharam Srinivas Reddy for failing to honour his promise of providing irrigation facility to the last ayacut.

The farmers of Salura, Jadi, Kaldurthi, Bardipur and Achanpalli villages cultivated paddy and maize under 28 and 48 canals of Nizamsagar project. The irrigation officials had organised irrigation ‘sadassu’ to generate hope among the ryots.

The Minister, while addressing the sadassu, had promised supply of water ensuring that no crop will get dry, while advocating the need for dry crops. The farmers alleged that the irrigation officials were changing their stand because of the decline in water level in Nizamsagar project. This, they stated, was causing severe hardship to them. The ryots threatened to paralyse the highway if no irrigation facilities were provided within two-three days.