The Irrigation Advisory Board meeting held at the district collectorate in Nellore on Wednesday witnessed heated arguments between the MPs, MLAs and MLCs belonging to the YSR Congress Party and the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) over the alleged diversion and pilferage of large quantities of water from the Somasila reservoir located in Nellore district.
Municipal Administration Minister P. Narayana and Collector M. Janaki repeatedly made it clear to the members that there was no diversion of any sort from Somasila and that records were available to show that all the waters were accounted for.
The Opposition members, who initially demanded clarifications on the issue, later relented with the Minister and the Collector emphatically declaring that they had checked all the records which clearly showed no pilferage of water from the dam.
Ms. Janaki said that she had personally scrutinised all the records regarding the storage and release of waters from Somasila in the wake of reports of alleged pilferage, but it was found that there was no irregularity in this connection.
She said that during the cyclonic rains and floods last December, the dam received heavy inflows which forced the authorities concerned to release waters to the Kandaleru reservoir located in Nellore district only.
At one time, TDP MLC and district party president Beeda Ravichandra registered his protest saying that the Opposition leaders in some places had made false allegations that Somasila waters were being diverted to benefit the farmers in neighbouring Chittoor district as it was the native district of the Chief Minister.
“I strongly condemn such allegations as this would only create confusion among farmers and harm their interests,” he said.
At the end of the discussions, Mr. Narayana declared that the meeting unanimously decided to release Somasila waters for the second crop to an extent of nearly 1.76 lakh acres.
This would be at the rate of 1 tmc for 8,000 acres in accordance with the demands and wishes of the farmers’ associations and leaders in the respective areas.
Mr. Narayana also promised the members that all instructions would be given to the irrigation authorities to ensure that the standing crops be saved all over the district by providing sufficient water till the end of the season by April 15.
