Hyderabad: The Telangana govt, which had acknowledged crop damage in about 25 lakh acres across the state due to El Nino impact, has failed to discuss the relief measures during Thursday’s cabinet meet, former minister T Harish Rao alleged. He questioned the govt’s priorities and said substantial resources were being spent on projects such as Global Summit, Musi rejuvenation, Future City and other infrastructure initiatives, while distressed farmers were being neglected.He alleged the ongoing agrarian distress in the state was the result of administrative failure rather than natural causes. After inspecting drought-hit paddy fields in Chilpichedu and Hatnoora mandals of Narsapur constituency on Friday, he termed the situation “Revanth Vrushti”, not “Anavrushti” (drought), and accused chief minister Revanth Reddy of failing to utilise available irrigation resources.Accompanied by Narsapur MLA Sunitha Lakshma Reddy and Sangareddy MLA Chinta Prabhakar, Harish Rao interacted with farmers whose crops had withered due to power interruptions and inadequate irrigation. Addressing a news conference later, he alleged that despite adequate rainfall and sufficient water availability in major rivers, the govt failed to operate lift irrigation schemes effectively, leading to large-scale crop losses.He claimed that projects such as Devadula and Kalwakurthy had the capacity to lift significantly higher quantities of water but were operated below capacity, resulting in irrigation shortages across farming regions. He said while there was a chance to lift 60 tmcft of water from Devadula, only 18 tmcft of water was lifted and the rest was released to AP.Harish Rao further demanded that the govt release a white paper detailing the operation of lift irrigation pumps and water utilisation during the season.Demanding immediate relief, Harish Rao urged the govt to provide a drought assistance package of ₹5,000 per acre, similar to measures announced in neighbouring Maharashtra and Karnataka. He also criticised the non-implementation of the crop insurance scheme despite budgetary allocations and accused the govt of discontinuing Rythu Bima scheme introduced during the previous BRS govt.He further alleged delays in opening paddy procurement centres, claiming farmers were being forced to sell produce through middlemen. He also raised concerns over pending farm loan waivers and alleged that banks were adjusting pension benefits, housing assistance and crop sale proceeds against unpaid agricultural loans.Referring to Singur project, Harish Rao accused the govt of reducing reservoir storage through poor planning, creating both irrigation and drinking water challenges in several districts. Harish said the govt vacated the project by releasing 20 tmcft of water in the name of repairs, which impacted four districts. He demanded protection of the remaining water reserves and prioritisation of drinking water supply for affected regions.
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