4 tanks in Garladinne mandal ignored

Kotanka (Anantapur): Internal politics and lack of proper understanding between people's representatives of Singanamala and Uravakonda constituencies have created road blocks in linking the village tanks of Kotanka and Marthadu villages. 

The inter-linking of all 1,400 village tanks, which is a major initiative of the ruling TD government had ignored the village tanks in the Garladinne mandal, according to the village farmers. 

The government which is engaged in the job of inter-linking of all 1,400 odd village tanks in the district on the lines of inter-linking of rivers has done it successfully except the linking of Podicheruvu in Kotanka village, Marthadu Brahmanapalle village tank, Golusukatta tank, Otikunta tank and Singanamala tank to the PABR-Kuderu Canal.

The government has promised to release Handri-Neeva water to all village tanks in the district. The four village tanks in Garladinne mandal have not been linked to the main canal which is PABR-Kuderu Canal. 

The Uravakonda MLA was said to be having reservations in this regard due to fears that such a linking may slow the free flow of PABR water to Uravakonda but he recently has agreed to the linking proposal. Garladinne desperately is looking for the inter-linking programme as the four village tanks would also get water.

Former vice-Sarpanch Yella Reddy and former mandal TDP president G Venkatesh have demanded immediate linkage of their tanks so that they could benefit from it this crop year. They stated that such a step would recharge all the bores in the two villages of Marthadu and Kotanka. There are 600 hectares of horticulture plantations including sweet lime, pomegranate, figs and vegetable crops in the two villages.

If water is released into the tanks, all the bores would be recharged and there would be a new lease of life to defunct bores and existing bores yielding less quantity of water. Meanwhile, Singanamala MLA Yamini Bala told 'The Hans India' that all arrangements are being made to inter-link all the village tanks in the mandal. She said that farmers would greatly benefit by the exercise.