The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : `Pala abhishekam' to LI scheme foundation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 27, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

`Pala abhishekam' to LI scheme foundation

By Our Staff Reporter

NIZAMABAD, JUNE 26. A large number of Nizamsagar tailend ayacutdars and Congress workers offered milk `pala abhishekam' to the Guthpa Alisagar lift irrigation schemes' foundation stone at Dasnagar, about 10 km from here on Saturday in the fond hope that the Congress Government would allocate the necessary funds to complete the much-needed scheme.

Today's programme was organised by the DCC vice-president, Ghannamaneni Bapu Rao, amid vedic chants by pundits to mark the fifth anniversary of the foundation stone laying ceremony. It may be mentioned here that the foundation stone for the Guthpa and Alisagar lift irrigation schemes was laid by the then Chief Minister, N.Chandrababu Naidu, on June 26, 1999, amid much fanfare keeping in view the 1999 elections.

A sum of Rs. 300 crores was needed to complete the Alisagar and Guthpa lift irrigation schemes which would have irrigated 70,000 acres in Dichpalli, Bodhan, Banswada, Armoor and Balkonda constituencies.

For the next one year no allocation was made for the schemes. The Congress workers who were silent for a year began to observe the death anniversary of the foundation stone every year. The Congress workers used to perform `Peddakarma' of the foundation stone to protest the `neglect' of farm sector by the TDP Government. The DCC leaders and elected representatives used to make it a point to attend the programme on June 26 every year.

The `pala abhishekam' ceremony on Saturday was is in stark contrast to the death anniversary rituals observed by Congressmen at the same foundation site from 2000 till 2003 to protest against the indifference of the then Telugu Desam Party Government towards the schemes.

The Nizamsagar tailend ayacutdars, who had backed the Congress in the recent elections decided to perform `Dosha nivarana' ceremony for the foundation stone and also to conduct pujas to bless the Chief Minister,Y.S.Rajashekara Reddy. Mr. Bapu Rao said that the ayacutdars decided to perform `pala abhishekam' to cleanse the foundation stone of the evils. He contended that for the last four years, the TDP Government never bothered to allocate funds for the schemes intended to supplement the Nizamsagar tailend ayacut.

Mr Bapu Rao, who performed the ceremony, pointed out that the foundation stone for the schemes was laid after the all-party stir for Singoor water in 1998. The Chief Minister, who had met the Nizamsagar ayacut protection committee leaders through the then Minister, Mandava Venkateswara Rao, assured to complete the lift irrigation scheme in record time to bring agriculture land under cultivation.

Just before this year's elections, the TDP Government released Rs. 10 crores to take up the work. The Congress leader alleged that the TDP wanted to garner votes this time also by taking up the works. He said that now that the Congress Government had come to power, all the elected representatives including the three district Ministers and the Speaker should strive to get the necessary funds so that the two schemes were completed within two years.

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