Ravela-Janimun war hobbles development in Prattipadu

Guntur: The reported turf war between Social Welfare Minister Ravela Kishore Babu and Guntur Zilla Parishad (ZP) chairperson Janimun in Prattipadu Assembly constituency casts a shadow over development in the VIP constituency.

Incidentally, the two leaders of the TDP come from that constituency. Janimun’s Kakumanu Zilla Praja Territorial Constituency falls under Prattipadu.

The constituency, located at the tail-end of the Nagarjunasagar project (NSP) right main canal, continued to hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, due to a showdown between its two VIPs.

The segment has been facing problem of floods and acute drought conditions but the relief measures got overshadowed by the turf war.

Nallamadavagu is considered a bane for the farmers in parts of the constituency as it inundates agricultural fields almost every year.

A proposal for modernisation of the scheme to avert the floods has been gathering dust for a long time.

Some parts have been facing severe drought conditions due to the failure of NSP right main canal to discharge the precious water.

The hapless farmers are forced to rent oil engines to water the crops as a desperate measure to save them from withering.

The investment on cultivation, as a result, shoots up by Rs 3,000 per acre in Prattipadu and Pedanandipadu mandals. A farmers’ leader said the Minister and the ZP chief ought to have convened a meeting with the Irrigation officials and ensured water from NSP for their fields instead of crossing swords for personal gains.

“Leave alone water for irrigation, we are finding it difficult to get a pail of water even to quench our thirst,” he lamented. The widening of Prattipadu-Ongole highway into a four-lane road is overdue.

The dispute between the two leaders over sanction of funds under the SC and ST Sub-plan and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has an adverse impact over development of infrastructure such as roads and community halls in the constituency.

Prattipadu former MLA Mekathoti Sucharitha said that lack of coordination between the Minister and the ZP chief took a heavy toll on constituency development.

Tenant farmers association district vice-president K Sivanageswara Rao said, “Minister Ravela and ZP chairperson Janimun were confined to group politics ignoring election-eve promises for development.

They were least bothered about people’s problems in the constituency. Farmers in Prattipadu constituency are not getting Nagarjunasagar water.

We have staged a dharna and submitted a representation to the Minister for agriculture Prathipati Pulla Rao.

They are neglecting Nallamadavagu stream flood problem. After demonetisation, the banks are not sanctioning crop loans.

The ruling party leaders turned a deaf ear to the pleas of poor farmers for credit support.”