Pattiseema, Palamuru projects opposed

• Farmers urge State govt to immediately start work on Polavaram Project
• Appeal to the Centre to strengthen agriculture sector

Vijayawada: The farmers and the leaders of various farmers’ associations here on Tuesday unanimously resolved to oppose the Pattiseema and Palamuru lift irrigation schemes in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana states respectively. They also appealed to the Andhra Pradesh government to build Polavaram multi-purpose project on priority basis.

At a round-table conference organised jointly by the Federation of Farmers and the Bharatiya Kisan Sangh (BKS), the farmers felt that Palamuru lift irrigation scheme in Telangana State would pose a threat to Krishna delta, while the Pattiseema lift irrigation scheme in AP would pose a threat to the Polavaram project.

They wanted both the governments to stop constructing the two projects in the larger interests of the farmers and the farming activity in both Krishna and Godavari deltas. They wanted the State and the Central governments to give due importance to agriculture on par with the industrial sector. Welcoming the “Make in India” call given by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the farmers wanted the governments to give “Grow in India” call and strengthen the agriculture sector in the country.

Initiating discussion, the Federation of Farmers president, Yerneni Nagendranath, found fault with the AP and TS governments for taking up lift irrigation schemes without consulting the farmers. He took strong exception to the AP government taking up the Pattiseema lift irrigation scheme, which would be of no use for the farmers, besides posing a threat to the long-pending demand of Polavaram Project.

He expressed the fear that the states upstream of Krishna and Godavari rivers would take their share from the river water which would question the existence of Krishna delta. He regretted that Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu did not hold even a single meeting with the farmers and the farm leaders who had been opposing Pattiseema project. He also alleged that the government was taking consent letters from the farmers using force.

Nagendranath also took a dig at the TS government for taking up Palamuru scheme to draw 90 TMCs of water from Krishna river in the foreshore of Srisailam. He said this project would deprive the due share of water for Krishna delta. He also said that the TS government had no right to start the project in the post-bifurcation of the State.

The BKS general secretary, Jalagam Kumaraswamy, who chaired the proceedings, raised slogans against Palamuru and Pattiseema schemes. He also criticised the State government for forcibly taking away the fertile lands from the farmers in the name of building new capital for Andhra Pradesh.

He emphasised the need to bring the farmers together cutting across the party lines and raise voice against land pooling, land acquisition and the irrigation projects of both AP and TS governments. The capital region farmers’ leader Mallela Seshagiri Rao ridiculed the land pooling for the capital and said that pooling would not stand for scrutiny of the law.

“There is no law that gives legal validity for land pooling. Though the officials are using force to take consent letters from the farmers, they would not stand in the court of law,” he said and alleged that the government was misleading people on land pooling.

The YSR Congress farmers’ wing State president M V S Nagi Reddy asked the farmers to keep political interests aside and fight to protect their lands and agriculture. Congress spokesman Kolanu-konda Sivaji, Telugu Rythu Krishna district president Chalasani Anjaneyulu, CPI leader Ravula Ankaiah, BKS leaders Bhupatiraju Vijayakumar Raju, G Rambabu and several others were present.