Congress MLA from Alampur, Sampath Kumar, on Monday said he would wage war against the Telangana Rashtra Samiti government with the support of farmers, if it did not take steps within 48 hours to ensure that farmers in an ayacut of about 87,000 acres under the Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme (RDS) in Mahabubnagar got water for the current season.
At a press conference here, the MLA recalled that the TRS secured votes in Mahabubnagar district and rode to power on the promise of assured water supply for every crop. Now that it has come to power, nothing was happening on that front, he regretted, adding that crop in 87,000 acres ran the risk of drying up this season.
Reduced inflows
The TRS government did not even appear concerned about Karnataka building several small dams upstream of the river Tungabhadra, that had apparently resulted in drastic reduction of inflows. Sadly, the government was neither doing anything to ameliorate the situation by initiating talks with Karnataka nor was it taking any step to bring about a rapprochement between farmers of the two States. If that was the problem upstream, the situation was no better with the danger of a water war with farmers downstream, specifically in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, Mr. Sampath Kumar said.
The RDS comprises an anicut that was completed and commissioned in 1958, supplying water through the 143-km-long RDS canal to help parched lands in 15 villages in Manvi of Karnataka and Gadwal (8 villages), Alampur (67) and 4 villages in Kurnool district.
Of the total of 90 villages, 75 are in Telangana State under the RDS command area.
Congress MLA threatens to take up fight against government with support of RDS farmers
