Hyderabad: Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Sunday said that police and forest officials should not unnecessarily enter ROFR lands where farmers are engaged in agriculture.“The state govt has decided to provide solar pump sets, sprinklers, and drip irrigation equipment free of cost to these farmers under the Congress govt’s Indira Soura Giri Jala Vikasam scheme, at an estimated cost of Rs 12,600 crore over three years,” Bhatti said.At a review meeting with the officials in Kothagudem Bhadradri district, Bhatti reviewed monsoon preparedness and stated that the water levels in Godavari at Bhadrachalam remain under control. However, he instructed officials concerned to implement all relief measures and ensure the availability of life jackets. A control room, he said, should remain operational until the end of the monsoon season.The deputy chief minister also directed the district collectors to submit detailed reports on the number of saplings distributed, planted, and those survived over the past 10 years, along with the related expenditure. “Conduct a detailed study as a pilot project in one of the major gram panchayats,” he said.Officials were also instructed to conduct regular inspections and ensure that meals served in welfare hostels meet the quality standards prescribed by the government. “Since it is monsoon, health department officials should conduct regular medical checkups for students,” he said.On promoting fish seed farming through self-help groups, the minister asked officials to prepare plans. “Currently, the govt is releasing 89 crore fish seedlings into water bodies every year. If SHGs in every district take up fish farming, it will create employment and evolve into a large-scale business,” Bhatti told the collectors. Though the govt has announced Rs 20,000 crore worth of development of the road network in rural areas, some of the MLAs were yet to submit their proposals, and this should be done at the earliest.The deputy chief minister ruled out reports of urea shortage in the state. “There is no shortage of urea, and the govt is taking all necessary steps to meet the demand. There is no need for the farmers to worry,” he said. Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, who participated in the review, instructed the officials to take measures to prevent flooding from the Munneru and Godavari rivers, which previously submerged residential areas in Khammam and Kothagudem.
