Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Working President KT Rama Rao (KTR) has announced that he will lead a massive padayatra from Kodad to Haliya alongside thousands of farmers if the Congress-led Telangana government fails to announce a clear water-release schedule for the Nagarjuna Sagar Left Canal by September 14.
Addressing a Farmers’ Maha Dharna in Miryalaguda, KTR pointed out that despite the Nagarjuna Sagar reservoir holding approximately 180 TMCft of water, the state government has withheld releases into the Left Canal. He stated that this inaction has placed standing crops across the Ayacut area—spanning Nalgonda, Suryapet, and Khammam districts—at serious risk of drying up.
Key Demands and Historical Context
- Immediate Schedule Required: KTR demanded that the state government immediately issue a detailed timetable specifying the exact dates of release and the total number of irrigation turns allocated to local farmers.
- Reenacting KCR’s 2003 Movement: Recalling former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s historic 2003 padayatra along the same Kodad-to-Haliya route during the Telangana movement, KTR asserted his readiness to launch a similar agitation to safeguard the farming community’s livelihoods.
- Ayacut Crisis: KTR highlighted that while the Nagarjuna Sagar command area flourished and drove significant agricultural growth during BRS rule, it now faces an unprecedented crisis due to government negligence and uncertainty surrounding water supply.
Criticism of Government Guarantees
Targeting the Congress administration over its unfulfilled election
guarantees, the BRS leader alleged that critical assurances—including the Rs 2 lakh farm loan waiver, Rs 15,000 per acre Rythu Bharosa assistance, annual support for landless labourers, and promised crop bonuses for paddy and cotton—remain largely unimplemented.
He further noted that the party intends to aggressively raise the irrigation crisis in the upcoming Telangana Legislative Assembly session.
“If the government does not announce a clear water-release schedule by September 14, I will personally undertake a padayatra from Kodad to Haliya with thousands of farmers,” KTR warned, reaffirming that the BRS would intensify protests across the state until the demands are met.
