Farmers Pin Hopes on Irrigation Water from Korata Chanaka for Kharif with State Govt Intervention

The barrage work was not progressing as the issue of compensation to the land acquired under the barrage was not settled. It is learnt that funds were not allocated by the government to pay compensation for the land acquired under the barrage.

On September 28, 2023, the wet run of the Korata – Chanaka barrage was conducted successfully by the irrigation department as elections were to take place soon. There was no further progress in its operations. Officials had released 300 cusecs of water successfully downstream from the barrage.

A wet run was conducted to send a message to the people of the constituency that the barrage works were completed as promised during the government’s five-year term.

The oustees staged a relay hunger strike demanding that the state government pay a `20 lakh compensation per acre for the lands acquired under the Pippalkoti reservoir in Bheempur mandal of Adilabad district in February, 2023.

The Pippalkoti reservoir was constructed to store the water lifted from the Korata- Chanaka barrage.

Farmer Laxma Reddy of Adilabad said it would be good if the state government took steps for completion of the Korata- Chanaka barrage and its canals by paying compensation to the lands acquired and giving water to the lands for Kharif sowing.

He said the barrage will also control the floods in River Penganga during the monsoon. The floods are causing huge damage to the standing crops downstream and inundating the villages.

As many as 90 farmers who lost their agricultural lands under the Pippalkoti reservoir of Korata-Chanaka barrage have been demanding that the state government give a `20 lakh compensation per acre as a one-time settlement. Otherwise, they would intensify their agitation, it was warned.

The oustees of Pippalkoti reservoir recently met Panchayat Raj minister Seethakka and requested her to arrange payment of compensation for their lands acquired, as per the revised price under the new act.

The oustees of the Pippalkoti reservoir coming up in the Gollaghat Thamsi are demanding that the state government pay revised compensation to the lands acquired for the reservoir.

Peddinti Bhumanna of Thamsi village said there are a total of 90 farmers from whom nearly 1,200 acres of land were acquired for the reservoir four years ago and 200 acres were used for building the bund. The farmers whose lands were used for it were paid Rs 8 lakh per acre as compensation.

The agitating farmers demanded that the state government pay the revised compensation to the remaining farmers for their 1,000 acres.

The farmers said the land value has increased manifold and they were unable to buy an acre with the money they get as compensation now. An acre of land is now being sold for `20 lakh in the same area, they said.

According to official sources, the water will be given to the 16,000-acre land on either side of the main canal nearly 43km away from Adilabad Rural, Jainad and Bela mandals in the Adilabad assembly constituency.

The officials said sub-canal workers were pending at Neerala due to the delay in land acquisition. The works of the pump house to be used for lifting water and releasing it into the main canal were completed.

Irrigation water could be given now to the agricultural lands in Jamdapur, Chanda (T), Arli, and Landsanghi in Adilabad Rural mandal. Nearly 1.7tmc of water will be stored at the reservoir to be filled with the lifting of water from the barrage at Pippalkoti.

The state government has revised the cost of construction of the ongoing Korata-Chanaka barrage to Rs 795.94 crore. The Korata- Chanaka barrage was expected to provide water to 50,000 acres in the Jainad, Bela and Bheempur mandals in Adilabad assembly constituencyhe project, with a storage capacity of 0.85tmc water, was taken up with an outlay of`350 crore but the project cost escalated to Rs 500 crore later. The project has 23 pillars and 22 gates.