Were farmers of Mallannasagar villages taken for granted by the State government? At least Srinivas Ranabothu, a non-resident Indian from Mamillagudem village in Suryapet district who is currently living in California, thinks so.
Mr. Ranabothu has been running i4Farmers, an NGO, to help farmers and also extend the required assistance so that farmers stop committing suicide. The NGO was floated in 2012, along with Suresh Ediga, Vijaya Lakshmi Gangareddygari, and Srinivas Karuturi, and last year alone they helped as many as 112 families of farmers across Telangana.
Mr. Ranabothu, along with Rytu Swarajya Vedika representatives Naveen Ramishetty and Jaya Chand, visited Vemulaghat, Erravalli, and Etigaddakishtapur on Sunday. They interacted with farmers who were expected to get evicted due to their land getting submerged when the Mallannasagar project gets constructed.
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“The government has failed to take the local people into confidence and promise them that their future will be secure. Once vacated, where will they go? The farmers and villagers who will be displaced want a firm assurance which the government has been failing to give,” Mr. Ranabothu told
He said the government has been been bulldozing its way without looking at the alternatives available for providing irrigation.
“Instead of stooping down to the level of personal attacks against those who suggested alternatives, the government should come forward and examine the possibilities. Why has the government been trying to commence works at Mallannasagar which was the last reservoir in the bigger Kaleswaram project instead of at the starting point like Sundilla?” said Mr. Ranabothu.
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Providing irrigation to a large number of farmers should not be at the cost of other farmers when alternatives were available, he said.