Vjayawada/Anantapur: The third Board meeting of the Andhra Pradesh State Irrigation Development Corporation (APSIDC) was held on Thursday at Jala Soudha, the office of the Engineer-in-Chief, Vijayawada, under the chairmanship of APSIDC Chairman Vegulla Leela Krishna.

During the meeting, Board members unanimously approved the agendas placed before them. Raising the concerns of the drought-prone regions, APSIDC Director and former Anantapur district representative, Patti Chandrasekhar, strongly advocated for increased allocation of funds and water resources to the drought-affected districts of Anantapur and Sri Sathya Sai.

Stating that these regions continue to face severe water scarcity, Chandrasekhar urged the coalition government to give special priority to the erstwhile Anantapur district.

He noted that despite having fertile soil, farmers in the region are unable to realise optimal agricultural output due to the lack of assured irrigation.

He emphasised that timely water supply could enable farmers to achieve exceptional yields and bring national recognition to the State.

The Director also highlighted the acute shortage of staff in irrigation department offices and requested immediate steps to fill vacant posts to ensure effective implementation of irrigation projects. Managing Director Tirumala Rao, along with Board members Siriginidi Venkateswara Rao, V Gajendra, Ankem Indira Priyadarshini, Paidipamula Krishna Kumari, Golla Lokesh, Muddavaram Sanjamma, Kotagiri Narayana Rao, Madaka Parvathi, Angara Rama Mohan, Karri Sathya Gauri, Pemmasani Nageswara Rao, Pallaval Venkata Sudhakar Reddy, and officials were present at the meeting.