The Rayalaseema Saguniti Sadhana Samithi (RSSS) on Saturday began afresh a peaceful agitation by meeting leaders of all political parties in Kurnool district and urging them to fulfil the long-pending demand for construction of a barrage at Siddheswaram, which can store 60 tmcft of water, to meet the drinking water and irrigation needs of the region.
RSSS president B. Dasaratharami Reddy said the samithi now revived its decades-old agitation in view of the permission given by the Central government for the construction of the Kalawakurthy-Nandyal National Highway. While building this infrastructure, the alignment can be combined and made more useful to store water and also provide road access, he said.
The samithi members led by Mr. Dasaratharami Reddy on Saturday met Nandyal and Allagadda MLAs Shilpa Ravi Chandra Kishore Reddy and Gangula Bijendranath Reddy. The team also met former Minister Bhuma Akhilapriya and MLC N. Md. Farooq. “All political parties from Rayalaseema had participated in the several agitations/programmes organised by the RSSS in the past and had helped take this issue to the notice of those in the power,” the samithi president said. The team had earlier met Nandyal MP P. Brahmananda Reddy and former MLA Bhuma Brahmananda Reddy.
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The RSSS had held awareness programmes for the farmers on the utility and benefits of Siddheswaram Barrage. With the proposed construction of a bridge across River Krishna at Sangameswaram, all the people’s representatives must put pressure on the Centre and State governments to take up the construction of the barrage also to right the wrongs meted out to the Rayalaseema region, he opined.