Hyderabad: BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao (KTR) on Thursday announced a Kodad Haliya padayatra with thousands of farmers if the government failed to release Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal water by September 14.
Addressing a farmers’ protest in Miryalaguda, KTR demanded an immediate decision on releasing water through the Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal. He also sought a clear schedule from the Congress government for the release.
KTR alleged that the government had deliberately neglected farmers who depended on the canal. He said the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir had around 180 TMC of water despite farmers waiting for supplies.
Therefore, KTR set September 14 as the deadline for the government to release water into the Left Canal. He said thousands of farmers would join him in the protest march if the government failed to act.
Kodad Haliya padayatra to follow KCR’s 2003 march
KTR said the proposed Kodad Haliya padayatra would draw inspiration from a similar march undertaken by former Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
KCR had undertaken a padayatra from Kodad to Haliya in 2003 to highlight problems faced by farmers dependent on the canal. KTR said he would follow the same route and spirit while raising the present grievances of farmers.
“With the same spirit, I will once again undertake a padayatra to protest the Congress government’s anti-farmer policies,” KTR said.
He warned that the march would go ahead if the government did not release water by the September 14 deadline. Moreover, he said thousands of farmers would participate in the Kodad Haliya padayatra.
KTR reiterated his demand for the government to immediately announce a clear water-release schedule. He maintained that farmers dependent on the Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal should not face further uncertainty over irrigation supplies.