A solution appears to be at hand for the agitating farmers whose patta lands are acquired by the government in Naya Qila area of Golconda for setting up of the golf course.
The district administration plans to provide land for land to the farmers somewhere in the city since they have refused monetary compensation and the land shown at Kothapalli village of Pudur Mandal in Ranga Reddy district.
A total of 52 acres of patta land was acquired from 54 farmers in 1999. Since then the farmers are up in arms demanding land for land instead of payment of compensation under the Land Acquisition Act. The farmers are also insisting on the exchange of land to be on ‘equivalent valuation’ basis.
District authorities plan to identify the alternative land within 20 days. It may not be possible to find a big chunk of 52 acres at one place.
“We will try to identify the land in and around Golconda mandal and whatever land is available will be proportionately distributed among the farmers,” Hyderabad Collector M.K. Meena told The Hindu .
Access denied
Mr. Meena held a meeting with the farmers recently and promised to resolve their problem at the earliest. The farmers, however, want to be allowed to cultivate their lands till the alternative lands are identified and handed over.
The farmers are sore that they are denied access to their lands which are now fenced by the Hyderabad Golf Association for development.
“Till October 29 we were cultivating the fields but all of a sudden we were evicted. The private security is not even allowing us entry into the Naya Qila,” says Mohd. Ilyas, a farmer activist.
Most of the farmers eke out a living from the sale of grass they cultivate. Now they have lost their sole source of revenue. Mr. Meena plans to compensate the loss being suffered by the farmers through the Tourism Department.
“We will find out the daily earnings of the farmers and the same will be recompensed,” Mr. Meena said.
‘No stopping visitors’
He said nobody would be denied entry into the Naya Qila.
There is no question of stopping visitors from seeing the historical sites there.
“I have given oral instructions and if necessary written orders will be issued not to stop anyone,” he said.
‘Abuse of authority’
However, civil society organisations say the private security arranged by the HGA is turning away even tourists from visiting Naya Qila which has the famous Hatiyan-ka-Jhad, Mullah Khayali and Mustafa Khan mosques.
“The action in closing the entrance is illegal and smacks of abuse of authority,” says social activist, Jasveen Jairath.
The displaced farmers feel instead of providing alternative land to them government can as well provide an alternative site to the HGA.
