The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : YSR promises more water to Anantapur

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Dec 31, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

YSR promises more water to Anantapur

Staff Reporter

Chief Minister hopeful of surplus water allocation by new Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal

Water joy: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy turning on a tap to fill a pitcher with NSRDWS water in Hindupur on Tuesday.

HINDUPUR: Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy on Tuesday promised the people of drought-prone Anantapur district of additional surplus Krishna water to irrigate another 8 lakh acres in the district, provided they reposed their faith in the Congress in the coming elections.

Speaking at a public meeting before dedicating N. Srirami Reddy Drinking Water Scheme (NSRDWS) to people here he said, he was hopeful of getting additional allocation of surplus water in Krishna to the State by the new Krishna Water Disputes Tribunal. The tribunal was reassessing water availability in the Krishna basin and looking into the claims of riparian States.

Fresh allocations

The tribunal was likely to make fresh allocations in about two years. His government would have taken up the project already, had there been no embargo and legal hassles on taking up new projects in the Krishna.

But, it would definitely be taken up two years later, he asserted and hoped that people would support the Congress again to realise their dreams.

Anantapur had about 35 lakh acres of cultivable land but only about 5 to 6 lakh acres was under irrigation now under different sources including Tungabhadra Right High Level Canal (HLC), a couple of minor irrigation projects, tanks and borewells. He assured that Uravakonda area would get the HNSS water by next June and the entire 3.5 lakh acres ayacut in the district in two-and-a-half years. The Congress government was completely empathising with the problems of people in the backward districts and had diverted 10 TMC ft of Tungabhadra water allocated to KC Canal to Penna Ahobilam Balancing Reservoir. He recollected that he had taken up a yatra from Lepakshi to Pothireddypadu way back in 1986 to take the woes of people to the notice of the government. But the TDP government had never responded positively.

He complimented Minister for Agriculture N. Raghuveera Reddy for bringing the Tungabhadra water to quench the thirst of hundreds of villages in six constituencies. He also urged the farming community of changing the cropping pattern and assured farmers who suffered heavy groundnut crop loss this year of crop insurance compensation is sufficient measure.

Later, the Chief Minister unveiled a pylon to mark dedication of the drinking water scheme to people and also switched on supply of water as trial run.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Andhra Pradesh