TDP National President and former Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday accused the YCP Government of causing irreparable damage to the farmers by stalling works on irrigation projects and by allocating meagre funds for the irrigation sector.
He said that the rulers have changed many times in the history of Andhra Pradesh but nobody has stopped the developmental works like the present YCP regime. All irrigation projects in all the 13 districts of the state have been stopped and not a single work has been started in the last 13 months.
In a letter addressed to the principal secretary of irrigation, Mr. Chandrababu Naidu expressed concern over the stalling of works on the Kuppam branch canal as a result of which irrigation and drinking water problems arose in the western Chittoor regions. The people and farmers are facing untold problems in Kuppam and Palamaneru assembly segments. In TDP regime itself, 90 per cent works of Kuppam branch canal were completed.
Mr. Naidu said that for the last 13 months, the final 10 per cent works of Kuppam branch canal were pending. Already, canal digging was completed for 121 kms while another 2.2 kms were in progress. About 221 out of the total 324 structures were completted while 44 structures were in progress. Another 59 structures would have to be started. About 1.43 lakh cubic metres eart work and 23,000 cubic metres concrete were to be taken up. Out of the Rs. 575 cr works, Rs. 490 cr works were completed while Rs. 50 cr works were pending. About Rs. 30 cr bills were to be paid.
Mr. Naidu asserted that during the TDP regime, Rs. 14,000 cr was spent per year on irrigation projects while the present YCP Government spent just Rs. 4,700 cr which was only one-third of what TDP has spent. Farmers are not able to get good crops because of stalling of Kuppam branch canal works. Farmers of tomato, vegetables, sericulture and horticulture crops were getting caught in debts. The Government should complete Kuppam branch canal and all other projects in the state in order to rescue the farmers.
The TDP chief said it was taken up on an experimental basis to provide water to V Kota mandal from Srisailam project. The farmers were in jubilation over seeing water flowing into western Chittoor for the first time. But, now it was deplorable that works were stalled. The deadlock in irrigation projects gave a severe blow to the dream of Haritandhra Pradesh.
Mr. Naidu deplored that all borewells were getting dried up and people were not able to get proper supply from drinking water tankers. The Government is not even paying tankers bills in time. The people were literally stuck in a breathless situation with Coronavirus problems multiplying on the one hand and the YCP Government’s failures giving new problems on the other hand. Stalling Neeru-Prajathi works was a totally thoughtless act. It is nothing but political vengeance to stop payment of bills pending from the previous Government. Noody would come forward to take up works in AP in future.
