Telangana: Opposition questions crop holiday, dam water releases at El Niño meet | Hyderabad News

Hyderabad: Opposition parties on Wednesday questioned the Telangana govt’s decision to advise farmers against cultivating crops, raised concerns over dam water releases and sought clarity on drought relief measures at an all-party meeting on El Niño preparedness chaired by deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka.BRS leaders, including former MP B Vinod Kumar and former agriculture minister Singireddy Niranjan Reddy, questioned why Telangana had announced a crop holiday while Andhra Pradesh had not taken similar measures. They also asked why Telangana could not release irrigation water from its dams when Andhra Pradesh was able to do so, sources said.The issue became a point of contention, with Bhatti citing a caution from the National Dam Safety Authority against releasing water. BRS leaders, however, disputed the argument, according to sources. They also sought to know whether district-level contingency plans had been submitted to the Centre to secure assistance under the National Disaster Management Act.BJP Legislature Party floor leader Aleti Maheshwar Reddy demanded compensation of Rs 15,000 per acre for farmers affected by El Niño and drought. He accused the govt of failing to announce relief measures despite warnings about the weather phenomenon six months earlier.Maheshwar Reddy alleged that crop enumeration was incomplete and called for the effective implementation of crop insurance schemes. He questioned the criteria used to declare mandals drought-affected and demanded advance stocking of fodder to prevent shortages. He also sought clarity on water availability from the Godavari and Krishna basins.BJP MLC Malka Komaraiah also attended the meeting.Meanwhile, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi called for a dedicated drinking water plan for the city’s Old City. His proposals included deploying small tankers, establishing community water tanks and introducing an online booking facility.Owaisi stressed the need to prioritise densely populated localities with narrow lanes, where residents depend heavily on water tankers and groundwater. He also sought predictable water supply schedules, advance notifications in Telugu, Urdu and English, and faster grievance redressal.The meeting was also attended by CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao, Telangana Jana Samithi founder M Kodandaram and CPM leader John Wesley.