A national convention will be organised in Delhi on January 23 and 24 to chalk out future programme to protest against the authoritarianism and passing of the Land Ordinance of the AP Government, according to a statement issued by Congress leader Bolisetty Satya here on Monday.
The convention will be jointly organised by the National Alliance of Peoples’ Movement (NAPM), All India Union of Forest Working People, Delhi Solidarity Group, Jan Adhikar Sangharsh Samiti and other groups. Protests are being planned at Jantar Mantar on the February 1 against the ordinance and the Left Kisan Sabhas will also protest at the same venue on January 30.
A day-long consultation on the issue ‘Land ordinance, corporate land grab and Greenfield capital for Andhra Pradesh,’ was organised by the NAPM, in New Delhi on Monday.
The speakers at the consultation deplored the attitude of the Chandrababu Naidu government in ‘trying to trample upon the rights of farmers’ through the ordinance.
They felt that the government was trying to bulldoze its way through the green fields of the farmers in a bid to promote real estate in the name of ‘capital development’. The failure of the government to discuss the Sivaramakrishnan Committee or the new capital plans in the Assembly shows the tyranny of the government, they felt.
M. G. Devasahayam, a retired IAS officer, and head of the Fact Finding Team constituted by NAPM, made a detailed presentation on the AP Greenfield Capital Development plans, farmers resistance and windfall gains built in for real estate developers and complete transfer of autonomy to a Singapore firm.
The region has 85 percent small and marginal farmers and also has women entrepreneurs who earn Rs.200-700 per day.
The planned Capital will take 30,000 acres of multi crop farm land from 29 villages affecting over 2 lakh people. The land pooling scheme, meant to be voluntary, is being used to forcefully acquire land from farmers. Janata Dal (U) leader Sharad Yadav, Rajya Sabha Member D. Raja (CPI), Leader of the Opposition in the AP Legislative Council C. Ramachandraiah, NAPM convener Ramakrishna Raju, former secretary to the Government of India K.B. Saxena and legal researcher Usha Ramanathan were among those who participated in the deliberations.
“A day-long consultation on the issue ‘Land ordinance, corporate land grab and Greenfield capital for Andhra Pradesh,’ organised by the NAPM, in New Delhi on Monday”
