Andhra Government Withers Telangana Fields....

The Andhra Government is all set to extend the date for closure of canalsin W.Godavari district by 10-15 days to facilitate water supply for paddy fields in the tail-end parts. Not only this, Mr.Suryanarayana Raju, Secretary of the Andhra Pradesh Rytu Karyacharana Samithi has asked the district authorities to supply water for fish farming. According to him, it will be unfair to deprive the fish farmers of water. The Andhra fish ponds will be filled with canal water after watering the paddy fields. This benevolence of the Seemandhra led Government towards the Andhra farmers is in sharp contrast to the attitude of the Government in providing water for the parched fields of the Telangana farmers in Ghanapur.

Crops in as many as 2,500 acres are in the danger of getting withered under Ghanapur ayacut, thanks to the indifference of various departments, that are infested by the Seemandhra settlers. Severe drought conditions in the preceding year, adversely affected the khariff crop in Telangana. The farmers in Ghanapur took up cultivation of paddy, sugarcane and sunflower only after the Government agreed to release water during the rabi season. The debts incurred by the farmers in procuring the required capital for sowing the rabi crop can only be imagined. Water was made available at three instances in the rabi season, during which the crop was grown to a considerable stage. And just before these crops could be harvested the Irrigation Department pulled the proverbial rug from under these hapless Telangana farmers by delaying the release of the final round of water, this insipte of the fact that 25 tmcft of water was released from the Singoor reservoir expressly for the Ghanapur ayacut.

The farmers of Ghanpur, had to approach the State Human Rights Commission (SHRC) for respite from the Administrations inhuman attitude in withholding of water, and the water was released only after Justice B. Subhashan Reddy, Chairman of SHRC directed the Principal Secretary, Minor Irrigation to release the water immediately. According to some farmers, even the release of water would not save the day for farmers as paddy crop in most of the areas at Kishtapur, Macharam and Rapur has already withered, and this water can only save the existing sugarcane crop in some areas.
The step motherly treatment meted out to Telangana and its people is visible all round us. There can be no excuse to condone the callous attitude of a State administration that releases water to save the crops of an impoverished and on the brink of destitution farmers only on orders from the Human Rights Commission. We the people of Telangana can get justice and the right to a livelihood only in our separate state.
JAI TELANGANA
JAI JAI TELANGANA