Farmers storm RDO office opposing fish tanks

Gudivada (Krishna): Farmers of Vutukuru village in Krishna district stormed the office of the Revenue Divisional Officer here on Monday demanding the authorities not to allow fish tanks in the village. They wanted action against corrupt revenue officials who permitted fresh digging of tanks which pose a serious threat to the drinking water resources and agricultural yield in the village. The villagers, led by several farmers' associations and Dalita Bahujana Parirakshana Sangham, staged a dharna in front of the office. They complained to the authorities that fish tanks had been causing drinking water pollution besides inundation of neighbouring fields. The presence of fish tanks had jeopardised crop prospects, they said. The agitators alleged that Mudinepalli mandal revenue officials had been misusing their authority by extending helping hand to a landlord in the village to go for digging of the fish tank. They charged the officials with accepting huge sum of bribe to allow the fish tank digging. The villagers said the higher officials of revenue department, acting on the directives of the District Collector, had prevented some selfish elements from excavating fish tanks in the past. Surprisingly, the officials had been allowing fish tank in the same spot now, they said. The farmers warned of intensified agitation if the authorities failed to check the digging activity in the village. They asked the officials not to entertain political intervention to give room for new fish tanks. Addressing the gathering, Dalit leader Annavarapu Nageswara Rao said that it was time for the villagers to wage a united fight to oppose fish tanks. Farmers' association leaders G Srinivas, Adinarayana and Krishna Rao, former village sarpanch Venkataratnam, Dalit leaders E Hajaraiah and Narasimha Rao supervised the agitation.