Vijayawada: In a significant development for the agricultural community, the govt whip and Vijayawada Central MLA, Bonda Umamaheswara Rao, along with other officials, formally released irrigation water to the Krishna East Delta canals from Prakasam Barrage on Sunday, marking the beginning of the Kharif season. On the occasion, a special pooja ceremony was performed and a total of 1,000 cusecs of irrigation water was released, with 700 cusecs allocated to Ryves Canal and 300 cusecs to Bandar Canal, benefiting approximately 7.40 lakh acres of ayacut under the Krishna East Delta region.Umamaheswara Rao emphasized that the TDP-led NDA state govt is a pro-farmer administration that prioritizes the welfare of farmers and ensures timely release of irrigation water to aid in crop cultivation. He highlighted that, unlike previous govts, the present NDA govt releases water to canals according to the schedule.Gannavaram MLA Yarlagadda Venkat Rao noted that although the decision to release irrigation water was initially scheduled for June 10, it was deferred to June 15 as farmers were not prepared for agricultural operations. He criticized the previous YSRCP govt for causing hardships to farmers due to untimely release of irrigation water for both Kharif and Rabi crops.Avanigadda MLA Mandali Buddha Prasad pointed out that the Avanigadda constituency, being a tail-end region in the Krishna delta, often faced severe losses due to neglect of canal maintenance and failure to remove debris. However, the present NDA govt has completed all necessary repairs and maintenance works, ensuring timely water release for crops.The event was attended by NTR district collector Dr G Lakshmisha, president of irrigation water consumer union federation Alla Venkata Gopala Krishna Rao, irrigation engineer-in-chief K Narasimha Murthy, and other officials.
