Southern States - Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad   

Drought scuttles rabi prospects

By N. Rahul

HYDERABAD Nov. 16. Minor irrigation in the State was never hit as bad as this year due to drought with the area under cultivation shrinking drastically.

Against 29.2 lakh acres irrigated by tanks in the kharif every year, the transplantations were carried out only in 4.04 lakh acres, something which has not happened in the last 30 years, irrigation officials said. They added that all those lands which could not be irrigated were left fallow.

They are of the view that there cannot be any irrigation by tanks in rabi as there was no water. The transplantations were usually done for 50,000 to 60,000 acres under tanks in rabi if there was good rainfall in the season. But, there was no chance of that this year.

According to K. Bhagyatha Reddy, Chief Engineer, Minor Irrigation, most of the 11,205 tanks in the State did not receive rainwater. This has caused a heavy financial loss to farmers as they could not take up sowing.

Mr. Reddy said 10,146 works were sanctioned for repairs of tanks, bunds and canals under the Food-for-work (FFW) programme linked to supply of rice to the labour in the State. Of the 9,047 works actually grounded, 5,519 were completed till November 2 when the implementation of the programme as far as minor irrigation was concerned came to an end.

The department was seeking rice to complete the works in respect of the balance 3,528 works which were in progress. A huge quantity of 31,781.19 MTs of rice and Rs. 30.28 crores was required to complete the ongoing works. The fate of the remaining 1,099 works which were not grounded was not known, Mr. Reddy added.

A total of 1.63 lakh metric tonnes (MTs) of rice and Rs. 65.88 crores for purchase of material was required for completed and ongoing works but 1.13 lakh MTs of rice and Rs. 26.88 crores was actually released.

The programme had generated 77.07 lakh mandays in the minor irrigation sector. Warangal topped the implementation of the programme with 1,176 works being grounded and almost 1,100 of them completed. Guntur recorded the least with only 38 works sanctioned.

All the 727 works sanctioned in East Godavari were completed but as many as 258 works were yet to be grounded in Vizianagaram where the sanctions were 562.

The cash component of the works for purchase of material like gravel and cement was met from various sources like the Calamity Relief Fund, flood damage repairs funds, non-plan expenditure and Employment Assured Scheme funds besides Collector's funds at Anantapur. Some of the notable works included construction of feeder channels to tanks from the anicuts on the Musi river in Nalgonda district.

The Chief Engineer, Administration, L. Banda Reddy, said a total of 195 irregularities came to light in the implementation of the programme by the Irrigation Department but most of them were in the minor irrigation sector. The action was initiated in 152 cases while the reports were awaited in the remaining ones.

Mr. Reddy said 77 officials were served with memos and six of them, including four of the rank of Section Officer and two Deputy Executive Engineers, were placed under suspension. Thirtyseven cases were referred to the Commissionerate of Enquiries.

Govt. seeks increased assistance

By Our Special Correspondent

Hyderabad Nov. 16. The Government has increased the amount sought from the Centre as assistance towards drought to Rs. 1,859 crores by including Rs. 649 crores incurred by the AP Transco for purchase of extra power to meet shortage.

The power shortage was experienced due to a drastic fall in hydel generation and continued dry conditions, according to the Relief Commissioner, D. C. Rosaiah. This was the first time that a State sought reimbursement for the loss suffered on account of power shortage.

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