Border Andhrites prefer Karnataka

Drought-hit

People living in Andhra Pradesh, just beyond the border villages in Mulbagal, prefer Karnataka as the drought conditions in Andhra Pradesh are far worse than in Kolar district.

“There is no rain, borewells as dry and as a result there are no crops to harvest. We are facing a severe drought”, said brothers Anjanappa and K Narayanappa, who hail from Alkuppam, the village just beyond Mulbagal border.

The brothers are the head of a 10-member family. They own a five-acre land, in which they have cultivated tomatoes, chillies and beans in a small part. The rest of the land is
barren.

The brothers still hope for rain and, in the meantime, manual work from Mulbagal all the way to Bangalore sustains them.

Whatever little vegetables they grow is sold in N Vaddarahalli market of Mulbagal. But largely they have to depend on labour work.
Uncared for

They said that the Andhra Pradesh government has not bothered about the people in the border villages. The citizens are like orphans and are neglected, they added.

Their village which lies along National Highway 4 has about 70 houses and a population of about 300 people. The village has a severe water crisis and the borewells have gone dry.

The borewell which they sunk a few decades ago has gone dry and the pump has remained silent for several years now.

The village is 53 km away from Kolar, where there is also a drought situation. Mulbagal also faces a water problem, but the brothers feel that Karnataka is any day better than their village in Andhra Pradesh border.