Farmers of Mudapaka in Pendurti mandal holding assigned land are up in arms against some persons who are trying to purchase their land by paying some advance.
A total of 450 acres of land were given under D-patta to villagers a few decades ago.
“Over the last few months, an influential person with the help of some local persons has started exerting pressure on villagers stating that if they do not part with land by taking the price offered by them it would be acquired by the government and they would end up with nothing,” says Ganesh of the village. Agreements were reached by around 200 farmers to sell about 300 acres of land giving in to such tactics with an advance of ₹1 lakh per acre, it was alleged.
When a road was laid through the land of even those who have not committed to selling the land and covering even hill-streams, a complaint was lodged with the Pendurti police. An earth-moving machine was seized.
“The farmers who have refused to give 86 acres approached me and when I took up the issue with the Police Commissioner T. Yoganand, he promised to take action,” says MLA P. Vishnu Kumar Raju.
Transactions in assigned land are barred under A. P. Assigned Land (Prohibition and Transfer) Act of 1977.
They also approached VUDA Vice-Chairman T. Baburao Naidu and expressed willingness to give land directly to VUDA.
On Monday, some of the farmers who took advance agreeing to sell the land also approached Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju.
‘Null and void’
When Mr. Vishnu Kumar Raju took the farmers of Madupaka to Collector Pravin Kumar on Monday and represented the issue the latter told him that all the transactions in land at Mudapaka were null and void. As such farmers would be entitled to enjoy their land and continue to cultivate it, the MLA said.
