Demand to declare Tuggali as drought-prone mandal

Koilakuntla (Nandyal district): Demanding the government to declare Tuggali mandal as drought prone, leaders of various political parties along with the farmers staged a road blockade with bullock carts on the main road of Gooty-Pathikonda in Tuggali mandal on Thursday. The agitating parties included Communist Party of India, Communist Party (Marxist) of India (CPM), Telugu Desam, Congress and Jana Sena.

The leaders pointed out that Tuggali mandal is totally a backward area and the entire mandal is reeling under severe drought. Almost all the crops cultivated were withered due to non-availability of water resources. Moreover, there was no rain due to which drought situation prevailed in the entire mandal, they added. This situation threw almost all the farmers into deep debts, who are working as daily labourers to support their families and some of them are even migrating to other places for livelihood, they lamented.

The agitating leaders alleged that despite knowing the drought situation and pathetic condition of the people, the officials are not declaring the mandal as drought hit. They criticised Pathikonda MLA Kangati Sridevi for keeping mum despite knowing well the prevailing drastic situations in the mandal. The leaders demanded the government to declare immediately Tuggali mandal as drought prone. As well as giving a warning to the government of intensifying their agitation if their demand is not met, they cleared that they will continue the protest till the mandal is declared as drought prone.

DCC chief Devishetty Prakash, TDP official spokesperson Manohar Choudary, CPM mandal secretary Sriramulu, TDP mandal committee president Tirupal Naidu, CPI mandal secretary Sultan, Congress leader Nagarjuna, Rythu Sangam president Konda Reddy and others participated in the road blockade programme.