Harish Rao seeks clarity on Ghanpur ayacut water release, calls for crop holiday

Former Minister T Harish Rao demanded clarity on water release under the Ghanpur project and criticised the government for taking up Singur repair works during Yasangi. He sought a crop holiday, compensation and pending benefits for farmers across districts.

Medak: Former Minister T Harish Rao demanded that the government come out with a clear clarification on water release to the ayacut under the Ghanpur project.

Speaking to reporters in Medak after felicitating newly elected sarpanches on Thursday, Harish Rao said the government had decided to take up repair works on the Singur project during the Yasangi season, leaving farmers of Medak, Sangareddy and Kamareddy districts in a state of confusion. Though there was a window to carry out the works during summer, he said the government had chosen to undertake them during Yasangi.

---

The former minister asserted that Manjeera water was the birthright of farmers from Medak and Nizamabad districts. Demanding that the government declare a crop holiday under the Singur, Ghanpur and Nizam Sagar projects, he also urged it to announce compensation to farmers for the ongoing Yasangi season. Due to the lack of clarity, Rao said many farmers in Medak were drilling borewells in their agricultural fields by spending huge amounts.

He said the BRS government had supplied irrigation water for two crops and arrested the migration of farmers to Hyderabad. He added that Kaleshwaram water was supplied to save crops in Medak whenever there was a shortage of rainfall or lack of inflows into the Manjeera river during the BRS rule.

Accusing the government of completely ignoring farmers’ interests, the former minister said the Congress government had failed to implement complete loan waiver, Rythu Bharosa, bonus and several other benefits. Rao said nearly Rs.1,800 crore in bonus amount for the last two seasons was still pending with the government.

The former minister accused Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy of denying uninterrupted power supply, urea, green manure seeds and several other benefits to the farming community, thereby pushing farmers into crisis. He said there was no announcement from the government on Yasangi Rythu Bharosa even though paddy transplantation had already been completed.