Story highlights
- Don't build a road without building a dam!
- Vinod Kumar Punnami Reporter ------------------------------------------★ Before undertaking road works near Kotamma Thalli Temple in Kota Mandal on the Gudur-Thupilipalem road route, the farmers of Thimmanaidupalem village have demanded that the two culverts that have…
- They expressed their concern that if the road is built without culverts, the irrigation problem for hundreds of acres will worsen and there is a risk of flooding of crop fields during the rainy…
Don’t build a road without building a dam!
- Road works should be undertaken only after the old culverts are reconstructed and the crop canal is restored.
- The main demand of the small and medium-sized farmers of Thimmanaidupalem village
Vinod Kumar Punnami Reporter
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Before undertaking road works near Kotamma Thalli Temple in Kota Mandal on the Gudur-Thupilipalem road route, the farmers of Thimmanaidupalem village have demanded that the two culverts that have been in use for decades be reconstructed and the silted-up irrigation canal be restored. They expressed their concern that if the road is built without culverts, the irrigation problem for hundreds of acres will worsen and there is a risk of flooding of crop fields during the rainy season. The farmers said that there were two culverts at the turns on the road from their village to Sri Sri Kotamma Thalli Temple in the past. They said that these culverts, which are connected to the irrigation canal that goes through the village to Vanjivaka Doruvu, have been providing water to hundreds of acres for decades. They said that the irrigation problem has become acute as the crop canal has silted up over time and has become impassable.
Farmers expressed their grief that their fields were drying up due to the lack of canal restoration. They said that the lands that were once lush with the waters of the Swarnamukhi River are now dependent on borehole water. They complained that due to water shortage in lands where two crops are grown, cultivation costs have increased and the burden of debt has increased. They alleged that they have been going around the authorities for years for the canal restoration, and that despite the funds being sanctioned for the work, the canal excavation work is not progressing due to some landowners obstructing it. They said that due to the obstructions in the canal, flood water does not flow back into the canal during the rainy season and about 100 acres of crop fields are being flooded.
The farmers expressed their grief that despite informing everyone from the Kota Tahsildar to the District Collector, from the Irrigation Department officials to the concerned Minister, their problem was not resolved. They demanded that the officials should at least respond and first reconstruct the old culverts, remove silt from the canal and restore the flow of irrigation water. They made it clear that road works should not be undertaken without renovating the culverts and canal system. The farmers appealed to the government and the district administration to take immediate steps to ensure that water reaches their cultivated lands.
