STOCK-TAKING: TDP MLA Karanam Balaramakrishna Murthi inspecting the Gundlakamma project at Mallavaram village in Prakasam district on Tuesday. — Photo: Sreenivas Kommuri

ONGOLE: Telugu Desam district president and Addanki MLA Karanam Balaramakrishna Murthi has found fault with officials for showing undue haste to get the Gundlakamma project inaugurated which, according to him, is more to appease Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy than to benefit farmers.

He took a team of newspersons to the project site on Tuesday to explain that the gorge portion was not yet completed. Nor the canal that would carry water was completed. Nor the villagers of Ghadiapudi constructed their houses in the rehabilitation colony to evacuate their houses that would get submerged.

Yet, the officials are filling up the project site with water by hook or by crook to release water to farmers, he alleged. Mr Balaramakrishna Murthi said that officials were diverting Nagarjuna Sagar water though two escapes at Dupadu and Darsi to Gundlakamma so that they can impound water in the project and release the same to farmers later this month.

Diversion decried

The TDP leader took strong objection to this diversion saying that it would accentuate water crisis in Nagarjuna Sagar tail-end areas. As officials were not allowing water to flow down Gundlakamma project, several lift irrigation schemes were suffering for want of water, he pointed out.

He contended that officials were trying to supply water to the Gundlakamma project even though it was too late for farmers to raise crops in the season.

They were unwittingly causing hardship to farmers of other projects. He said that officials were doing this only to please the Chief Minister that they have able to complete the project and supply water to farmers.

Mr. Balaramakrishna Murthi pointed out that Ghadiapudi and Garlapadu villages would get submerged if officials were to impound enough water for 30,000 acres. None of the farmers of Ghadiapudi started construction of houses in the rehabilitation colony for want of auspicious day (muhurtham) till now. They laid the foundation stone for a temple on December 14 and were now ready to build houses.

In Garlapadu, the villagers were given house site pattas but were not shown the site till now. He said that the contractor had informed him that it would take four more months more to complete the project in all aspects. In this background, Mr. Balaramakrishna Murthi asked officials to give time for the oustees to construct their houses and move to new colony and in the meantime complete the project in all aspects to impound water and release water to the entire area by August this year.

He also appealed to the oustees to hasten construction and evacuate their houses in the old village.

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