“There is utter chaos, tension and fear among farmers. With such blatant disregard for the rulebook, I don’t think Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu can carry forward his capital-building plans,” said G.M. Devasahayam, who heads a four-member fact-finding mission on land pooling constituted by the National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM).
Mr. Devasahayam recalled his experience as the Administrative Officer of the second phase of the Chandigarh capital project following the division of Punjab and Haryana and said it was carried out in accordance with a proper plan based on prescribed norms.
“There are more than 10 villages where land is extremely fertile and farmers enjoy multi-crop harvest. They are not willing to part with their lands. They are determined to stand united and resist land pooling,” he said, adding that some villages even had young entrepreneurs, including women, who had acquired more plots. “From tilling the land, labour work, reaping the crop and trading it in the market, they have established an amazing link from farm to the market,” he said.
On the fear-psychosis that has gripped the region, he accused the CM of destabilising a robust local economy. “A section of farmers practising single-crop agriculture has been attracted by the government offer and are considering giving up their lands. But, there confusion and uncertainty, and farmers do not have faith in the land pooling exercise,” he added.