Heavy rain ushers in boating to Adilabad

people enjoy boating in Khanapur tank in Adilabad town

Heavy rains brought boating for the first time to the Adilabad town of Telangana. The boating facility was made available at Khanapur tank by an enthusiastic entrepreneur. 

The long waiting boating facility is enthralling the elders and children alike in this rainy season. There is a proposal to develop the Khanapur tank as mini- tank bund under the Mission Kakatiya.

Two pedaling boats have been made available for the people who want to take a ride in the tank.  Mr. Sarfaraj Ahmed, who operates the boats, said he had   secured permission from the Telangana Tourism and precautions and safety measures were being implemented.

'Tourists were provided life jackets, tubes, life-belts and a boat had been kept ready to tackle any emergency', he said.

He said they would hoist the Telangana state flag as an endpoint in the waters from where riders have to return.  Children are charged Rs 30 and adults Rs 50 for a ride. Mr. Sarfaraj said they would arrange a horse riding soon to the children near Khanapur tank.

Jogu Ravi, councilor of Ward No-9, said state government could develop the Khanapur tank as a tourist place by developing it as mini- tank bund which could serve as a recreation centre to children and elders.

He said officials should clean the tank first as it is spreading foul smell discouraging the people from coming to the place and irrigation officials should take steps to remove the encroachments from the tank.      

Abhiram,11, of Bhrahminwada who went for a boating ride with his parents expressed happiness over boating for the first time and said it would be major entertainment for the children during holidays.

Mini- tank bunds turn into scenic picnic spots

 

Pochamma Cheruvu is developed as mini- tank bund in Bellampalli

Five tanks being developed as mini- tank bunds under Mission Kakatiya in Khanapur, Sirpur (T), Bellampalli, Chennur, and Mancherial assembly constituency headquarters in the district, have turned into picnic spots in the Adilabad district.

Families and other visitors thronging them even though work on some of them, such as Pochamma Cheruvu on the outskirts of the Bellampalli town,has not  been completed fully.

Strengthening of bund with substantial width is enabling the people to ride bikes on it with their kids and experiencing the scenic beauty of the tank: the other side of the Pochamma tank is abloom with lotuses.

A central lighting system was set up along the tank bund and boating facilities area also being made available. A canteen too will come up along the bund.

Rakesh Kumar of Bellampalli town said that the mini- tank bund would certainly serve tourists well as a brief retreat; a variety of facilities offering people an opportunity to relax despite leading busy lives.

A gigantic Buddha statue is being erected in the middle of Nagamma tank in the Sirpur (T) town which is being developed as mini- tank bund at a cost of Rs 1.90 crore. This will be the second one after the Tank Bund of Hyderabad where a  Buddha statue was installed in the middle of  Hussain Sagar.

Local MLA Koneru Konappa had ordered for Buddha statue from Kurnool district to be installed in the tank. There are a considerable number of Buddhist in the Sirpur (T), Bejjur, Kautala, Kagaznagar and Dahegoan mandals in the Sirpur (T) Assembly constituency.

Encroachers to get 2BKH houses

Khanapur tank in Adilabad town 

Encroachers on the Khanapur tank will get two bedroom houses (2BKH) as an incentive to vacate the existing houses that they have constructed on the tank bed. Efforts are being made to develop Khanapur tank as a mini-tank bund in the Adilabad town.

The Khanapur tank is one of the popular old Talabs dug up during the Nizam period in the Adilabad district. 

Nearly 260 houses on the tank bed will be removed to revive and expand the tank and develop it as mini- tank bund and make it as tourist spot in the Adilabad town.

State government is developing one tank from each Assembly constituency as mini- tank bund under the mission Kakatiya. 

It will also make special arrangements at these mini- tank bunds to play Bathukamma in future.Sources said that divisional revenue officials had prepared the list of the houses by encroaching on the tank bed and were living there. 

The two bedroom houses would be built in survey NO.  68, which is government land behind the Kastala Ramakistu colony in the mavala grampanchayat on the outskirts of the Adilabad town.

People used to swim in the Khanapur tank and many fishermen families were depended on the tank but things have changed a lot after the sewerage water releasing into the tank and people started encroaching the tank and constructing houses in the last 20 years.    

A senior TRS leader of Adilabad town said, only after revenue officials had completed the construction of houses to be allotted they would start evacuating people and razing the structures on the tank bed which were causing them problems.

A majority of the houses on the tank bed were getting inundated during het rainy season, and it had become a common practice for those living in them to demand compensation for such damage.

Restoration works of tanks incomplete

Restoration works of only 10 percent tanks that comes to 67 out of total 607 have been fully completed taken up under first phase of Mission Kakatiya in the district. Restoration works of most of the tanks came to halt due to rains and contractors had not completed de-siltation works, strengthening of bund, slues works waiting for tanks receive rain water.

Contractors had submitted bills for the work which they have not done due to rains taking the advantage of the rain water in the tanks.

Government officials are not in a position to measure the works in the tanks filed with water and it was possible only after the water recedes in the next summer. At the most, officials can measures the bund works and slues works now.

The state government is taking up in completed works of earlier tanks in addition to the 600 new tanks in the second phase of mission kakatiya in the district. There are total 3,821 tanks and ponds have been identified in the districts.

Collector M. Jagan Mohan said only 10 percent of tanks out of total 607 for which got administration sanction under first phase of Mission Kakatiya have been fully completed and restoration works of majority tanks have been affected to rains in Asifabad and Adilabad divisions in the month of June,2015.

He said the incomplete tank work will be completed along with the 600 new tanks identified under second phase of Kakatiya whose works will begin from January, 2015.

100 tank bunds coming up in TS

Khanapur tank which was encroached upon in Adilabad town. 

State government is developing existing tanks as mini- tank bunds, one each in Assembly Constituency in all the districts under Mission Kakatiya in the Telangana. Arrangements for Bathukamma will be made at mini- tank bunds by next year like at Tank Bund in Hyderabad.

Encroachments will be removed from the existing tanks to develop them as mini- tank bunds as per the government order NO: 86 issued recently.  Revenue and irrigation departments will conduct join survey and submitted the report to the state government. 

The mini tank buds will be completed before the next Bathukamma festival.

The state government has sanctioned ten mini- tank bunds to the Adilabad district under Mission Kakatiya but only six proposals have been submitted so far to the irrigation department. These tank bunds will also be developed as tourist spots and picnic centres.

Khanapur tank in Adilabad town will be developed as mini- tank bund and also Dharmasagar tank in Nirmal town, in Boath and Sirpur (T) before the next Bathukamma.

Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao asked the officials to immediately submit the proposals for the mini- tanks bunds in the 10 Assembly constituencies and said he has received proposals so far for only six mini- tank bunds in the district.

The existing tanks will be developed 6 meeters width, Bathukamma ghats will be constructed, sewerage plant will be set up to clean the polluted water mixing into the tank and added that railing, boating plat form, walking track and statues of important political leaders and prominent persons will be installed, area beatification, entertainment facilities, boundaries, cafeteria at the Khanapur tank in the Adilabad.

The water after purifying and keeping the PH percent in the water at required level will be used for drinking and irrigation purposes and feeder channel from Kummarikunta in Kummariwada will be cleaned which is attached to the Khanapur tank.  

Deputy Engineer of Irrigation Adilabad R. Prathap Singh said they have submitted a proposal to develop the Khanapur tank as mini- tank bund at a cost of Rs 18.86 crore in the Adilabad town.

According to reliable sources, the encroachments in Khanapur tank in the Adilabad will be removed and a walking track will be developed in that places as proposed in the report.

Mission Kakatiya turns a boon

Katakam Gangaiah at tank in Yapalguda 

Some of the tanks and ponds revived under Mission Kakatiya have helped farmers cultivate paddy in their lands situated close by this Karif despite insufficient rainfall.

This Kharif season, some of the farmers cultivated paddy in their agriculture lands despite scanty rain fall.

Mission Kakatiya managed to bring in some positive results though the tank revival works were not up to the expectations due to many loopholes in the procedures, officials and contractors indulging in corrupt practices in taking up tank revival works. It overall impact, however, can be measured only after four year’s time.   

The tanks revived with de-siltation and strengthening bund saw increased water storage capacity which has helped mitigate the effects of the deficit rainfall this monsoon.

Such tanks are contributing a lot to the raise in the ayacut under newly revived tanks under Mission Kakatiya.

Katakam Gangaiah of Yapalguda in Adilabad was seen in cultivating paddy in his three acre land and seemed confident of being able to cultivate cotton in the Rabi with Komatikunta tank revived recently to store enough rainwater. All this on account of Mission Kakatiya.

‘Last Karif season saw no cultivation of paddy due to drought condition and not enough water in the tank but things have changed a lot with the revival of the tank in the summer’, said Gangaiah.

The agriculture laborers of Khanapur colony of the Adilabad, planting paddy in Gangaiah’s land, expressed happiness over getting work in this agriculture season unlike last one.

On the other hand, youth and middle- aged men flock to Komatikunta tank for fishing these days as there was good water in the tank after its revival under Mission Kakatiya.

At the same time, many birds are visiting Komatikunta tank these days for insects and fish and it was also seen some of the birds set up nests on the trees around the tank and forest plantation.

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