Telangana’s ‘Borewell’ Ramreddy relives dark past as Congress fails to supply irrigation water

The veteran farmer says the drought that has gripped Telangana is not natural but a crisis created by the Congress government

Hyderabad: The drought gripping Telangana is not a natural calamity but a crisis created by the Congress government, says veteran farmer ‘Borewell’ Ramreddy, who met BRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao at Telangana Bhavan on Tuesday.

As fields dry up due to lack of irrigation water and power cuts, farmers in districts like Nalgonda were being pushed back to the distressing days of the undivided Andhra Pradesh era.

Ramreddy, known for having dug over 100 borewells for water in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh and is now popular as ‘Borla’ (borewell) Ramreddy, now finds himself forced to repeat history.

He accused the Congress government of failing to stand up to the Centre as the Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) allegedly sides with Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

“Nagarjuna Sagar and Srisailam projects, once brimming with water, have now turned into barren stretches. The Congress government has abandoned irrigation projects, bringing Telangana farmers back to square one,” he lamented.

Ramreddy also pointed out the hollowness of the Congress’ poll promises. No loan waivers, no investment assistance, no bonuses – just empty assurances, while farmers struggle to survive.

To combat the water crisis, he has already dug six borewells in Mushampally, while farmers across Nalgonda are spending lakhs on desperate measures.

With the last 10 years witnessing abundant water for irrigation and drinking, Chandrashekhar Rao reportedly asked him about the reasons for this crisis and Ramreddy had only one answer – government failure.

He feared that for Telangana’s farmers, the dark past had returned, and the future looked bleak under Congress rule.