Legislators express concern over tank encroachments in Kurnool district
Kurnool: At an irrigation advisory board meeting held in the city on Saturday, legislators expressed concern over the encroachment of irrigation tanks in the Kurnool district.
Panyam and Kodumuru legislators, along with the chairman of the District Agricultural Advisory Council, raised the issue of encroachments in these tanks.
Joint collector Narapureddi Maurya assured that joint meetings would be conducted with revenue and irrigation officials to address these encroachments and take appropriate action.
Panyam MLA Rambhupal Reddy questioned why authorities were not preventing the construction of bunds and the planting of trees in the Tandrapadu tank. He emphasised that analysing water storage levels over the past 20 years would reveal important facts.
Kodumuru MLA Dr Sudhakar asked about the area of the Gargeyapuram tank and requested clarification on whether Gangamma tank belonged to the irrigation department or was privately owned.
Agriculture Advisory Council chairman Bellam Maheswara Reddy expressed concern about the encroachment of tanks, saying that real estate trade was being conducted in the Gangamma tank area and that there were intentions to encroach upon the Gargeyapuram tank as well.
Yemmiganur MLA Chennakesava Reddy raised the issue of chilli crops planted under the Tungabhadra project and demanded water supply by February.
Irrigation SE Reddy Sekhar Reddy explained that water for both first and second crops had already been provided to 80,000 acres under the KC canal in the combined districts. He also mentioned that Srisailam backwater was being channelled into the KC canal, but the Srisailam dam had only 93 TMC of water.
Farmers were advised to cultivate dry crops with the available water. Water from the Tungabhadra dam was also being supplied, and currently, water was flowing from Adoni to Kodumuru. In the Tungabhadra dam, there was only 66 TMC of water available.
DCMS chairman Ch. Shiromani Maddaiah, and Market Yard chairman Prabhakar Reddy and senior officials were present.
