Alleges Government Neglect; Calls for Protest on April 23
Release ₹453 crore for HLC modernisation
Conduct survey and begin works on Untakallu reservoir
Anantapur: The Communist Party of India (CPI) has demanded immediate modernisation of the Tungabhadra High Level Canal (HLC), alleging that the irrigation system has fallen into a dilapidated condition. A CPI team conducted a field inspection from the 105th kilometre distributor near Bommanahal mandal to the Kanekal tank distributaries in Rayadurg constituency.
Speaking on the occasion, CPI State Secretariat member Devaragudi Jagadeesh criticised leaders who had earlier undertaken padayatras on HLC issues while in the opposition but are now silent after coming to power. He urged the government to take up modernisation works immediately if it is genuinely committed to farmers’ welfare.
He stated that Anantapur district is supposed to receive 32.5 TMC of water from the Tungabhadra reservoir to irrigate around 2 lakh acres. However, due to the poor condition of the canal, including damaged gates, distributaries and breaches, a significant amount of water is being wasted. Though about 4,000 cusecs flow at the Karnataka border, only around 2,000 cusecs are released further, leading to heavy leakage and losses. He warned of district-wide protests if the government fails to act swiftly.
CPI district secretary Palyam Narayanaswamy alleged that the state government has completely neglected canal maintenance. Due to lack of repairs and desilting, irrigation water is not reaching farmers on time. He said the district is receiving less than 24 TMC, and currently only about 70,000 acres are being irrigated.
He further pointed out that tail-end farmers are suffering the most, with areas like Tadipatri, Alur branch canal, and Guntakal sub-branch canal not receiving adequate water. The proposed Untakallu reservoir project has also seen no progress due to lack of funds for survey works.
AP Rythu Sangham district secretary Chirutala Mallikarjuna said that tenders worth ₹453 crore were invited for HLC modernisation, but works did not commence due to non-release of funds. He criticised ruling leaders for ignoring the issue despite earlier protests.
To intensify pressure on the government, CPI leaders announced that farmer meetings will be held across mandals, followed by a massive protest in front of the Anantapur Collectorate on April 23 at 10 a.m.