Hyderabad: Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana drought zones list, alleging that officials had excluded mandals despite severe rainfall deficits. He questioned the scientific basis of the selection and accused the state government of treating areas unfairly.
Sanjay said some mandals had recorded rainfall deficits of up to 35 per cent but did not feature on the list. He alleged that the government had particularly disadvantaged the Karimnagar parliamentary constituency.
The BJP leader questioned the exclusion of drought-affected areas in the Husnabad, Vemulawada, Sircilla, Manakondur, Choppadandi and Huzurabad constituencies. Farmers in these areas faced severe distress, he said, as fields lay barren and residents struggled to obtain drinking water.
He also asked whether the government had deliberately left out Karimnagar to avoid spending money on relief measures. Direct interaction with farmers and field visits would reveal the extent of the drought, he said.
Sanjay demanded a white paper setting out the criteria and official data used to identify drought-hit mandals. The Telangana drought zones list, he argued, should reflect local conditions and verifiable indicators.
Telangana drought zones need separate mandal-level assessments
According to Sanjay, rainfall in one mandal could not establish that neighbouring mandals had experienced similar conditions. He called for individual assessments of rainfall deficits, cultivated areas, crop losses, soil moisture and groundwater levels.
He also urged the government to publish detailed information on these indicators. Officials should promptly review petitions and complaints from farmers in villages and mandals omitted from the survey, he said.
Sanjay called for every eligible mandal to be added to the Telangana drought zones list without delay. He said the government should base its decisions on actual conditions rather than political considerations.
The minister further demanded full compensation, according to eligibility, for drought-affected farmers. He also sought employment opportunities for poor rural residents facing hardship.
Sanjay warned that he would intensify the agitation on behalf of farmers if the government failed to address their grievances. He reiterated his demand for a transparent review of excluded areas and disclosure of the criteria used to classify drought-hit mandals.