Former chief minister and TDP president, Nara Chandrababu Naidu, on Thursday commented that Rayalaseema has become a victim to the foolishness and inefficiency of Chief Minister, Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Naidu made a power-point presentation on the irrigation projects in Anantapur district as part of his ongoing ‘Yudha Bheri’ programme. The TDP supremo said that Jagan almost nullified 102 projects in Rayalaseema, including 38 in Anantapur district alone. This apart, in the name of launching new projects, Mr Jagan has minted Rs 600 cr, he remarked.
“My sole aim is making Rayalaseema a fertile land and I am now visiting all the irrigation projects in the State only to tell the public about the destructive policies of Jagan due to which these projects have got damaged,” Naidu said. Observing that the people should realise the fact as to who has done justice to their area and who did injustice to them, he felt that besides the common man, intellectuals, farmers, farmers associations and people’s unions should be aware of how Jagan has ruined the irrigation projects as all of them are witnesses to the damage caused to the State.
All should realise the benefit the State will get if rivers like the Vamsadhara, the Nagavali, Godavari, the Pennar, and the Krishna are interlinked, Naidu said and felt that water and roads are crucial for creating assets. Water was supplied to Anantapur district due to Pattiseema, he stated.
Pointing out that Anantapur and Mahabubnagar districts were the most backward districts in the combined Andhra Pradesh, the TDP supremo noted that Anantapur is developed as water was supplied to the district while Mahabubnagar is developed as an industrial hub. Pointing out that 120 TMC feet of the Godavari water is shifted to Krishna Delta through Pattiseema, Naidu said that the surplus water in Srisailam project is supplied to Rayalaseema through Handri-Neeva, Galeru-Nagari, and the Telugu Ganga.
Though Anantapur did not witness any rains till now this year, the State Government has not switched on the Pattiseema and Handri-Neeva pump-sets, he remarked. “It was late NT Rama Rao, who made it clear that the surplus water from Srisailam can be supplied to Rayalaseema and it is the TDP which said that the Godavari water can be brought to the region and also realised it,” Naidu said.
Giving even minute details on the release of funds by the TDP governments for various irrigation projects in the State, particularly in Rayalaseema region, including Anantapur district, Naidu felt that when will these ongoing works of the projects be completed if the rulers do not have any understanding. Of the total of 47.20 lakh acres agricultural land in Anantapur district, land fit for cultivation is only 11.79 lakh acres while the extent of land under irrigation is a mere 1.39 lakh acres, he said and stated that the farmers totally depend on water from the Pennar and the Krishna basins.
