Hyderabad: BRS working president KT Rama Rao announced that he is ready to undertake a padayatra from Kodad to Halia in erstwhile Nalgonda district to protect farmers and their crops. He alleged that farmers under the Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal are watching their crops dry up while the Congress govt is neglecting to release water.He gave the govt an ultimatum to announce, by Sept 14, a clear schedule specifying when and how much water would be released into the Sagar left canal. If the govt fails to respond within the deadline, KTR said he would undertake a padayatra with thousands of farmers.Speaking at a farmers’ maha dharna in Miryalaguda in Nalgonda district on Thursday, KTR said it was shocking that farmers under the left canal were not receiving even a drop of water despite around 180 tmcft of water being available in the Sagar reservoir. He alleged that the problem was not a shortage of water but a lack of commitment on the part of the Congress govt towards farmers. He also claimed that the govt had the opportunity to release water during the current season but was deliberately neglecting the issue.He said farmers dependent on the Sagar ayacut in Nalgonda, Suryapet and Khammam districts were facing a severe crisis. He urged the ministers representing these districts and the irrigation department to understand the farmers’ distress and respond immediately.
