Lathi charge at Jurala; KTR faults govt. for denying water to Jurala ayacut

HYDERABAD

Police had to resort to a mild lathi charge on farmers and BRS workers on Monday to disperse them as they tried to move towards the Priydarshini Jurala project, demanding the release of water for the paddy crop.

However, the situation was brought under control with the arrest of BRS leaders, including former Makthal MLA Chittem Ram Mohan Reddy. Police are keeping a strict vigil at the dam site.

Farmers from the combined Mahbubnagar district have been protesting since Saturday, demanding the release of water, even as the government insists it is storing water to meet drinking needs. Due to El Nino leading to a poor monsoon, there are not enough flows into the reservoir this year.

KTR blames govt.

Working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) K.T. Rama Rao alleged that the Congress government in Telangana has squarely deceived farmers in the Krishna Basin by denying irrigation water under the project built on assured waters, while Andhra Pradesh is diverting water for projects based on surplus waters outside the basin.

Farmers under the Jurala project Right and Left Canals in the combined Mahabubnagar district were being pushed into distress by denying available water to their standing crops in crucial stages, despite their protests at the project site and elsewhere in the district, Mr. Rama Rao said addressing a press conference here on Monday.

Mr. Rama Rao stated that out of 248 tmc ft of inflows into the Krishna Basin projects this year, Telangana had utilised only 28 tmc ft water. The government would be held responsible even if one acre of standing crop would wither in the Jurala ayacut and get 10 tmc ft water from Karnataka by talking to the Congress government there, if needed.

He reiterated that government had all the powers to take action against them (BRS leaders) in case they had acquired/held properties illegally and said he was ready for a probe by a sitting judge on the properties of family members of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy and former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.

Meanwhile, senior leader of BRS T. Harish Rao questioned the Congress government’s failure to give Krishna water to the ayacut under projects in the Basin in Telangana, when A.P. had taken the same to Kuppam located 738 km away from Srisailam reservoir.