TDP national president N. Chandrababu Naidu has called the Rayalaseema region a “victim of inept governance,” and reiterated his resolve to transform the region into a horticultural hub.
At the ‘yudhabheri’ programme on irrigation projects in the district on Thursday, Mr. Naidu recalled that Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy had almost stalled 102 irrigation projects in the region, of which 38 were in Anantapur district alone.
“Also, the Chief Minister has made ₹600 crore in the name of launching new projects,” Mr. Naidu charged.
Appealing to the farmers to recall the government’s policies and the pro-farmer approach adopted during the TDP term, and the absence of the same in the current dispensation led by the YSRCP, Mr. Naidu maintained that only the TDP had the vision and capability to transform their dream of making Rayalaseema fertile.
Interlinking of rivers
“If Vamsadhara, Nagavali, Godavari, Penna and Krishna rivers are interlinked, the benefits accruable to the State are immense,” he said, recalling that the Pattiseema project helped supply water to the far-off Anantapur district.
Of the 47.20 lakh acres of agricultural land in Anantapur district, only 11.79 lakh acres were fit for cultivation, and of which, the land under irrigation was a mere 1.39 lakh acres. Farmers totally depend on water from the Penna and Krishna basins, he elaborated. “However, the present government, having no knowledge of the irrigation system, continues to turn a blind eye to the people’s woes,” he rued.
The TDP supremo unveiled a vision of reaping the benefits of the proximity of Anantapur district with Chennai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad on the industrial and farming fronts.
