Anantapur: Farmers worried as government silent on HNSS canal works

Anantapur: Farmers in the district are disappointed at the YSRCP government for being silent on their stand towards the Handri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi (HNSS) project originally conceived with the express purpose of irrigating 3 lakh acres in the district. The main objective of bringing Krishna water to the district is for irrigating 3 lakh odd acres of crop lands and for meeting the drinking water needs of Rayalaseema. The TDP government whiled away its time giving priority to filling village tanks which only help in recharging of borewells locally. It was the vision of former chief ministers N T Rama Rao and Y S Rajasekhara Reddy to irrigate more than 3 lakh acres in Anantapur district alone.

Farmers and peasant organisations are expressing disappointment at the government for not spelling out its stand on giving water to irrigation requirements of the district.

Being a rainfall deficit district, the project was designed to meet requirements of district and Rayalaseema at large. Farmer Bhushan Reddy of Garladinne mandal told 'The Hans India' that so much had been promised on the irrigation front, but the project been diluted and confined to filling village tanks and drinking water purposes of Rayalaseema.

HNSS project was originally aimed at irrigating 6.02 lakh acres in Rayalaseema and 3.45 lakh acres alone in Anantapur district. In the first phase of HNSS, 1.14 lakh acres and in the second phase, 2.2 lakh acres was the irrigation potential of the project. The supply of Krishna water through the HNSS canals to Jeedipalle, Gollapalle, Cherlapalle and Marala reservoirs in Anantapur district and in turn to Dharmavaram, Guntakal, Madakasira and Punganur branch canals and in turn to village tanks is the crux of the HNSS irrigation story but as on today the new government is silent on the issue, says CPI district secretary Jagadish and CPM district secretary Ram Bhoopal.

The first phase of project was designed to extend irrigation facility to 1.18 lakh acres and supply drinking water to more than 4 lakh population in the district.