Farmers in Telangana are grappling with an unprecedented crisis as the Congress government has failed to release irrigation water from projects. Even though their fields fall within the ayacut of irrigation projects, many farmers are suffering due to a lack of support from the government, leading to the drying of crops before the commencement of harvest.
The farming community has made fervent appeals to authorities and elected representatives, but their pleas have fallen on deaf ears. These distressed farmers are now taking to the streets in a desperate plea for help.
One such farmer, Rajaiah from Munjampally in Jagityal district, shares the anguish of seeing two out of his four and a half acres of paddy fields dry up. He warns that without water, the remaining acres will also be lost. Despite investing significant sums to protect their crops, the farmers fear that their hard work will be in vain unless urgent action is taken.
In another distressing account, Dandaraveni Rajinikanth from Peddalingapur village in Illantakunta mandal of Rajanna Sircilla district recounts eight years of cultivating paddy on his three acres near the Annapurna project. However, this season has brought despair as three acres of paddy fields dry up due to the Congress government’s failure to release water. Frustrated and left with no other options, some farmers have resorted to allowing shepherds to graze their sheep in the barren fields.