CPI demands HLC modernisation, construction of parallel canal

Anantapur : CPI leaders including D Jagadish, C Jaffer and Mallikarjuna visited Tungabhadra dam in Hospet on Saturday and enquired the engineers about the latest situation after replacing the crashed gate.

Due to the crashing of 19th gate last week, 11,000 hectares of crop lands in AP, Telangana and Karnataka that are dependent upon Tungabhadra water is in question. AP and Telangana States together have 65 per cent of stakes in water sharing and Karnataka has 35 per cent water share.

The CPI leaders alleged that the negligence of the previous government had resulted in the present fate of the dam crest gates. They criticised that despite engineers alerting the Tungabhadra Board and the Central Water Commission about the internal state of the dam five years ago, the authorities payed deaf ears. Tungabhadra project is the lifeline for Kurnool and backward district of Anantapur, which are dependent on the project even for drinking water.

They noted that flood waters reached the reservoir with heavy rains in June-July, kindling hopes of a good crop and bumper harvest but the dam gate crash fiasco dampened farmers’ spirits. They alleged that CWC and the BJP government are responsible for the fiasco and negligence of the inter-State dam. Later speaking to reporters, CPI leaders Jagadish and Jaffer alleged that the AP government was neglecting maintenance of irrigation projects in the State. Due to lack of maintenance, Annamayya dam got washed away by flood waters, they added.

The duo reminded that CPI organised agitations for about a decade for fulfilling the district's long pending demand of modernisation of HLC canal and construction of a parallel canal. Had the government undertaken modernisation works, things wouldn't have been as pathetic as today, they noted. The leaders appealed to the government to undertake HLC modernisation and parallel canal projects on a fast track basis.