Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant national project status to the Pranahita-Chevella project, citing commitments made to Telangana.
He raised the issue ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit to Karimnagar. He said the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act assured support for one major irrigation project in the state.
Bhatti said the Centre had granted such recognition to the Polavaram project in Andhra Pradesh after 2014. However, he noted that Telangana had not received similar backing for any irrigation project so far.
He described the situation as discriminatory and said the Union government must honour its earlier assurance. He added that granting national project status would strengthen irrigation infrastructure and support farmers across Telangana.
Call for national project status amid irrigation and farm concerns
Earlier, Bhatti attended a ground-breaking ceremony for a compressed biogas plant at Gambhiraopet in Sircilla district. Ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Tummala Nageshwar Rao and Ponnam Prabhakar also joined the event.
Biostratum Technologies Private Limited is establishing the plant at Pantalugari Thota. The project aims to convert paddy straw into biogas, thereby promoting sustainable farming practices.
Bhatti said the state government was procuring crops at Minimum Support Price. However, he alleged that the Centre delayed grain lifting and fund releases, which affected farmers.
He said the Centre should go beyond announcing MSP for select crops. Instead, it should procure all grains collected by the state and ensure timely payments to farmers.
He also advised farmers to adopt crop diversification. He encouraged them to reduce reliance on paddy and shift towards horticulture crops, millets and oil palm.
Bhatti added that such diversification could improve farm incomes and reduce risks linked to mono-cropping. He said the government would continue to promote alternative crops and sustainable practices.
