Traffic on the busy Addanki-Narketpalli Highway in Guntur came to a grinding halt for about five hours on Friday as thousands of farmers and TDP activists blocked vehicular movement demanding release of water to Nagarjuna Sagar right canal and Krishna Western Delta. The irate farmers registered their protest by squatting on the road and cooking food there itself.
The TDP MLAs, who participated in the agitation, threatened that they would resign if the government did not take necessary steps soon having already wasted precious time in saving Kharif crop in four districts, West Godavari, Krishna, Guntur, and Prakasam.
TDP Polit Bureau member K. Yerran Naidu, former MP and Telugu Rythu president Karanam Balarama Krishna Murthy, senior leader Varla Ramaiah, MLAs Prathipati Pulla Rao (Chilakaluripet), Dhulipalla Narendra Kumar (Ponnur), K. Sridhar (Pedakurapadu), G.V.S.R. Anjaneyulu (Vinukonda), and Yarapatineni Srinivasa Rao (Gurazala), Tummala Nageswara Rao (Khammam), and S. Venkata Veeraiah (Sattupalli) led the stir and vowed to intensify it in the event of the present impasse continuing.
Addressing the gathering, Mr. Yerran Naidu regretted that the government did not feel the gravity of the situation and it was negligent in ending the travails of farmers who have made repeated pleas for timely supply of water but to no avail.
Mr. Nageswara Rao said the farmers were mired in an unprecedented crisis not only due to water scarcity but also due to steep rise in prices of fertilizers and poor quality of farm inputs.
Chilakaluripet MLA and TDP district president Prathipati Pulla Rao said it was outrageous that water was not released from Srisailam and Nagarjuna Sagar projects in spite of availability of enough quantities at 872 feet and 512 feet respectively. What else should one describe this except as a conspiracy by some vested interests, he asked.
Mr. Balarama Krishna Murthy said the government was inviting trouble by procrastinating on the water issue. As a consequence, farmers of different regions were pitted against each other in the on-going battle for water which could have been avoided by promptly responding to the contingency on seeing its early signs.