Kurnool in the grip of fear

KURNOOL: At the break of dawn, Srinivasalu trudges across the road to his small farmland outside Kurnool town and returns in the evening, but on Tuesday, a borderline drawn in the form of barricades separated the 75-year-old man from rest of Telangana.
Gun-toting policemen preventing vehicles and people from crossing over as an indefinite strike called against the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh took hold, spreading fear and anger among the people of Kurnool, once the bustling capital of Andhra state.
"What is this division they are talking about i have no clue. The entire land is ours, but today we are being asked to stay behind the barricades," murmured a sad Srinivasalu, pointing at the long barricades that seemed like a forced borderline drawn by authorities. Hardly a few kilometres from the Telangana border, an air of uneasiness and fear is palpable in Kurnool town, which is witnessing a string of protests against separation from Telangana.
"Large number of traders, farmers and even shoppers from nearby areas of the border come to Kurnool town and we too cross over to that side. There was never really a problem. But, things have changed now and we have no choice but to fight for our identity and survival," said M Mastan, owner of a mechanic shop, located on the outskirts of the city.
A fear of resurgence in factionism in case the state is divided, is stalking the old timers.
"Factionism is a result of severe drought and hunger and is not part of the Rayalaseema culture" said G Manohar Reddy, a local youth leader, who is on a hunger strike near the famous 14{+t}{+h} century fort Konda Reddy Buruju, located in the heart of Kurnool.Kurnool is the only district to have had a president in N Sanjeeva Reddy, Prime Minister P V Narasimha Rao and chief minister K Vijayabhaskar Reddy, but people in unison say the town has been neglected.
"We get water from upstream areas located in Mahbubnagar district. If tomorrow, a new state is formed, we will be denied water for irrigation and there will be mass farmer suicides and hunger will shoot up. People will be forced to do anything and everything to earn a meal," said a feeble looking Manohar.
"This will again bring back violence which has almost been forgotten in the district."
A bone of contention seems to be the Rajaribanda diversion scheme (RDS) which is on the Tungabhadra river in Mahbubnagar district.
Almost every season, farmers from both sides of the border slug it out for their share of water which usually gets settled amicably, due to the intervention of officials and local leaders.
But the locals say violence is imminent in case of a new state since the voice from Kurnool district is likely to go unheard, they fear.
For some, the fear is also about the future of the youth of the region.
"Hundreds of youngsters of this region go to Hyderabad not only to study but even to settle there. We share close ties with the city," said SA Subhan, a member of protesting lawyers.
"Those who are there, might also want to come back and the worst part is we do not even have any employment opportunities here. Uncertainty surrounds our region's status and we fear these youngsters will also be pushed towards factionism," said Subham.
Amidst all this, the regular life has been hit due to the ongoing strike which saw protesters shut down schools and shops, stop vehicles and force people out of offices.