Telangana Prepares for El Nino Impact... Farmers Advised Against Second Crop

Telangana Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said the state government was prepared to effectively counter criticism from opposition parties and urged the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) to change its approach. On Sunday night, he held a meeting with Congress MLAs, AICC and PCC leaders, and party workers at his camp office in Vidyanagar, Kothagudem, in Bhadradri Kothagudem district. The discussions focused on El Niño preparedness, the ‘Vote Bachao, Desh Bachao’ campaign and campaigning for the MLC elections. Ponguleti said the state government was preparing to address the potential impact of El Nino. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy was working on plans to tackle water shortages and protect crops, he added. In view of the anticipated conditions, the minister advised farmers against cultivating a second crop. He also said that around 1.5 million of the state’s three million borewells had already dried up.

Ponguleti urged the Centre to allocate adequate funds to help Telangana deal with drought conditions. He said an all-party meeting would soon be convened to formulate a course of action against what he described as the Centre’s neglect. Criticising Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar over alleged bias in the removal of voters’ names, the minister demanded his removal from office. He also called on Congress workers to prepare for a protest in Delhi. The meeting was chaired by Bhadradri DCC president Thota Devi Prasanna. Leaders Koram Kanakaiah, Jare Adinarayana, Tellam Venkata Rao, Payam Venkateswarlu, Duddilla Srinubabu, Venkatesh and others attended.