Hyderabad: Labour and Employment Minister Gaddam Vivek Venkataswamy urged people to practise water and power conservation until June amid concerns over a possible El Niño impact. He directed officials to prepare for potential drinking water shortages. He also assured farmers of government support and advised them to reduce paddy cultivation in line with water availability.
On Friday, Vivek distributed double-bedroom house certificates to 2,111 beneficiaries and Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak cheques to 179 beneficiaries. He attended the programme with Siddipet Collector Haimavathi and Dubbak MLA Kotha Prabhakar Reddy. The event took place at Sri Ramalingeshwara Function Hall on the outskirts of Nagaram village in Akbarpet-Bhoompally mandal.
Vivek said electricity demand had risen from 15,000 megawatts in October last year to 20,000 MW at present. He attributed the growing demand to the use of around 35 lakh borewells across Telangana. Meanwhile, he reiterated the government’s assurance that farmers would receive nine hours and 30 minutes of electricity daily.
Water and power conservation alongside housing support
Vivek said the Congress government had sanctioned 12,000 Indiramma houses in Siddipet district over the past two years. In addition, he said the government planned to sanction another 5,753 houses next year. He stressed that the government aimed to provide homes to all eligible poor families.
The minister also called for adequate irrigation water and electricity to support farmers. He said officials should remain alert to changing weather conditions and take steps to prevent hardship for agricultural communities.
However, Dubbak MLA Kotha Prabhakar Reddy raised concerns over water storage and power supply. He alleged that farmers were facing serious difficulties because the Mallanna Sagar, Kondapochamma and Ranganayaka Sagar reservoirs had not been filled adequately. He also cited electricity shortages.
Prabhakar Reddy recalled that the Kudavelli stream had carried water from Mallanna Sagar even during April and May in previous years. He urged Vivek to ensure at least 10 to 12 hours of electricity supply for farmers. He added that farmers in several mandals had staged road protests over power problems.
The MLA also called for fair distribution of permanent houses. He asked revenue officials and the district collector to examine complaints from villages and verify applicants’ eligibility on the ground. He said authorities should address beneficiary grievances and ensure that eligible families received housing assistance.
Several officials and public representatives attended the programme. They included RDO Sadanandam, State Padmashali Corporation chairman Guduri Srinivas, Atma Committee chairman Narender Reddy, Dubbak municipal chairperson Sriram Sangeetha and commissioner Mahesh Kumar. Mandal-level tahsildars, market committee representatives, local leaders and officials from various departments were also present.