Just as it appeared that the last of the oustees whose land was under the umbrella of Mallannasagar submersion had given up, the High Court order quashing GO 123 and 214 seemed to have given them new strength.
Indications to this effect were loud and clear for all to see and feel when residents of Erravalli, Etigaddakishtapur, Pallepahad and Singaram villages, who were portrayed as ‘willing to sell their land to the government for the Mallannasagar reservoir’, celebrated the High Court verdict by burning copies of the GO, held placards and burst crackers late on Wednesday night.
As Thursday dawned, more villagers expressed willingness to join those from Vemulaghat, who were the ‘loners’ in the fight against a project that would swallow their land. This was evident when Erravalli farmers sent revenue officials back with the message that they were not interested in giving up their land any more.
Mandal Revenue Officer Vijay Bhaskar, Revenue Inspector Venugopal Rao and Village Revenue Officer Mallesh from Kondapaka were shocked on Thursday morning as they were met with resolute faces of people who reminded them that the GO was quashed.
“Throwing up their hands in despair and knowing there was nothing they could do, the officials took a U-turn, out of our village,” said Erravalli resident Karunakar Reddy.
It was learnt that a few of the villagers had signed on Form One and Form Two on Thursday morning, but the process was stalled by others who questioned the legal sanctity of the Government Order.
