The Anantha Venkata Reddy Hundri Neeva Sujala Sravanthi Bhageeratha Yatra, flagged off by Chief Minister N. Kiran Kumar Reddy on November 18, entered Anantapur district on Monday.
Large number of people
The Bhageeratha padayatra being undertaken by Revenue Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy and Anantapur MP Ananta Venkatrami Reddy, witnessed good crowds all along the route till the temple town of Kasapuram with many reminiscing their involvement in the struggle for the realisation of the HNSS project decades ago.
The presiding deity at the temple, lord Anjaneya, was washed with the water from Krishna from the HNSS canal system in the presence of Ministers.
Anantapur district saw many a struggle, especially amongst student folk, piloted by the CPI with leaders such as V.K. Adinarayana Reddy, who is considered crucial in bringing the project, a dream then, into mainstream politics making former Chief Minister Kotla Vijaya Bhaskara Reddy order for a detailed project report into the project.
Jails and agitations
Reminding himself and the crowds of the same, Anantapur MP Ananta Venkatrami Reddy said that the water flowing into this canal system had been a dream for the people of the district for well over 50 years and attributed the current success run to all political parties and people who went to jails in the agitations for the HNSS project.
On the other hand, the CPI district secretary urged the government to recognise the role played by former legislator and CPI leader V.K. Adinarayana Reddy in the realisation of the project and suitably commemorate his efforts by naming the Jeedipalli reservoir in the district after him.
Meanwhile, Revenue Minister N. Raghuveera Reddy promised the people that the HNSS project would, in future - after the completion of the Polavaram project - aim to transfer water from the Godavari Basin to the Krishna Basin – draw assured waters of the Srisailam reservoir rather than the flood waters of the reservoir based on increased water level in the foreshore of the reservoir during flood days.
“Thus, the project will become a sustainable and a long-running lifeline for the Anantapur and Kurnool districts,” he commented.
The padayatra was joined by Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy, Tribal Welfare Minister Pasupuleti Balaraju, besides Gooty MLA Madhusudan Gupta on Monday.
