Hyderabad: Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao raised several Telangana interests at the 31st Southern Zonal Council meeting in Mahabalipuram. He sought action on pending interstate and reorganisation issues through separate letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu.
Thummala sought the merger of five gram panchayats near Bhadrachalam with Telangana. He also requested Andhra Pradesh’s share of funds for permanent restoration of the Peddavagu irrigation project.
In addition, the Minister sought Andhra Pradesh’s support for a minimum assured price of Rs 25,000 per tonne for oil palm fresh fruit bunches. He also wanted the Bhadrachalam-Eluru interstate road declared a national highway.
Union Home and Cooperation Minister Amit Shah chaired the council meeting. Chief ministers of southern states attended the meeting, while Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka represented Telangana.
Thummala, who held the Agriculture, Marketing, Cooperation, Handlooms and Textiles portfolios, also attended with senior officials. The Telangana government focused on resolving pending bifurcation matters and finding permanent solutions to interstate issues.
Telangana interests include merger of five panchayats
Thummala urged Amit Shah to facilitate the merger of five gram panchayats near Bhadrachalam into Telangana. He said their continuation in Andhra Pradesh after reorganisation had caused serious administrative difficulties for residents.
The five panchayats were Yetapaka, Kannayagudem, Pichukalapadu, Purushothapatnam and Gundala. Together, they covered 19 revenue villages that Thummala wanted restored to Bhadradri Kothagudem district.
According to his letter, the villages covered a total geographical area of 11,122.01 acres. Thummala said their present location created an unusual geographical situation. The villages lay between Telangana territory, the Godavari river and reserve forest areas.
Consequently, residents faced difficulties in accessing government and administrative services. The headquarters of Alluri Sitarama Raju district was about 282 km away, he said. In contrast, the Bhadradri Kothagudem district headquarters was only about 40 km away.
The Minister also highlighted difficulties faced by tribal residents while transporting agricultural produce, forest produce and essential commodities. He attributed the problems to interstate check-posts along their routes.
Moreover, the area was close to the Chhattisgarh and Odisha borders and had previously witnessed Naxal influence. Thummala said the existing geography also complicated coordination among police and security agencies.
He pointed to another administrative issue involving the Sri Sita Ramachandra Swamy temple in Bhadrachalam. While the temple was in Telangana, substantial temple lands were located in Purushothapatnam.
Therefore, the present territorial arrangement was also creating difficulties in the administration of temple properties, he said.
Thummala urged Shah to intervene and correct what he described as a geographical anomaly created after Andhra Pradesh’s reorganisation. He sought faster action to transfer the five panchayats and their 19 revenue villages to Bhadradri Kothagudem district. He also made the same request to Chandrababu Naidu.
Telangana interests cover Peddavagu restoration funds
Thummala separately sought Andhra Pradesh’s financial contribution towards the permanent restoration of the Peddavagu medium irrigation project. The project, located at Gummadavalli in Aswaraopeta mandal of Bhadradri Kothagudem district, suffered severe damage during heavy rains on July 18, 2024.
Thummala said the project provided irrigation to a total command area of 16,000 acres. Of this, 13,640 acres were located in Andhra Pradesh.
After the damage, Telangana undertook temporary restoration measures, including construction of a ring bund. These works helped restore water supply to the command areas in both states, he said.
However, authorities estimated the permanent restoration cost at Rs 92.20 crore.
The Minister said Andhra Pradesh accounted for 85.25 per cent of the project’s command area. Therefore, he asked Naidu to share the permanent restoration expenditure proportionately and release Andhra Pradesh’s contribution immediately.
Thummala said he had raised the issue with Andhra Pradesh in February. However, a decision remained pending. He urged the Andhra Pradesh government to act immediately in the interests of farmers dependent on the project.
Telangana interests include Rs 25,000 oil palm price
Thummala also sought Naidu’s cooperation in pressing the Centre to protect the income of oil palm farmers. He wanted the Centre to fix a minimum assured price of Rs 25,000 per tonne for oil palm fresh fruit bunches, or FFBs.
The Minister said oil palm cultivation required high initial investment. Moreover, farmers had to wait for a considerable period before plantations started generating income. Fluctuations in international crude palm oil and edible oil prices also affected farmers’ earnings, he said.
Thummala noted that Andhra Pradesh was one of India’s major oil palm-growing states. Meanwhile, Telangana was rapidly expanding cultivation under the National Mission on Edible Oils-Oil Palm, or NMEO-OP.
He said a Rs 25,000 minimum assured price could provide farmers with stable and remunerative returns. In addition, he proposed a periodic revision mechanism linked to cultivation costs.
Such a mechanism would protect growers against fluctuations in international prices, he said. It would also improve farmer confidence in expanding oil palm cultivation across the country.
Thummala urged Naidu to coordinate with other oil palm-growing states and jointly press the Union government on the issue. Thummala also sought Andhra Pradesh’s support for national highway status for the Bhadrachalam-Eluru road.
The interstate road connected Bhadrachalam in Telangana with Eluru in Andhra Pradesh through Chintalapudi and Dammapeta. The proposed national highway route stretched for about 160 to 165 km.
The Minister said the road passed mainly through remote and tribal areas. Upgrading it would improve access to markets, healthcare, education and employment opportunities, he said.
A significant stretch of the proposed highway was located in Andhra Pradesh. Therefore, Thummala said the project would also provide direct benefits to that state.
The route would connect NH-30 at Bhadrachalam with NH-16 at Eluru. It would also link with the national highway network around the Aswaraopeta-Jangareddygudem area.
According to Thummala, these connections would strengthen transport links and regional connectivity between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
He urged the Andhra Pradesh government to press the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to approve the proposal. Andhra Pradesh’s support could help secure national highway status and sanction for the project, he said.
Through the letters, Thummala sought coordinated action on Telangana interests involving territorial administration, irrigation, agriculture and interstate connectivity.