ANANTAPUR: A `maha padayatra' was launched by two leaders of the Telugu Desam Party in the district on Wednesday to exert pressure on the Government to take up modernisation of Tungabhadra Right High Level Canal (HLC), the only source of dependable irrigation in the district.

Polit Bureau member and former Member of Parliament K. Srinivasulu and Uravakonda legislator P. Keshav set off on the 10-day march amid a huge gathering of party activists near Bommanahal, where the HLC enters State territory from Karnataka. A large number of party activists would also be participating in the 200-km march along with the leaders.

Party legislators -- B.C. Govindappa, M. Govinda Reddy and P. Ranganayakulu - and Member of Legislative Council P. Raghunatha Reddy, who had taken a three-day padayatra recently in support of the proposed science city, district president of the party V. Haumanatharaya Chowday, former Member of Parliament B.K. Parthasarathi and others were present during the flagging off of the padayatra.

Before setting off on the march, the TDP leaders said even the localised ayacut under HLC was not getting water due to the dilapidated condition of the canal. The tail-ends lands had been left uncultivated for several years due to water not reaching them. Though the canal was designed to carry 2,600 cusecs of water into the State territory from the Tungabhadra reservoir at Hospet, about 30 per cent of water was not being yielded at the border due to tapping by Karnataka farmers, seepage and the dilapidated condition of the canal. Siltation in the reservoir had cut the allocation to the canal from 32.5 tmcft to 26 and out of which only 19 tmcft was being realised in the State.Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was also neglecting the matter, as his repeated assurance of taking up the issue with Karnataka and grounding works with funds from Andhra Pradesh Government seemed to have been forgotten, they said. The TDP Government had allocated 5 TMC ft water to Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir and the Congress Government extended it by another 5 tmcft.

But, the Government was unable to divert 10 tmcft of allocation to PABR for the last three years though sufficient water was available in the reservoir.

The padayatra was taken up only to protect the rights of the farmers under the canal and lakhs of others who depended on the canal for their drinking water needs, the TDP leaders said.

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