CPI(M) Polit Bureau member B.V. Raghavulu has charged Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and District Collector Ch. Vijayamohan with forcibly taking over lands of farmers for the solar power plant proposed between Sakunala in Orvakal mandal and Gani in Gadivemula mandal.
Addressing villagers in Sakunala on Wednesday, Mr. Raghavulu also accused them of acting dictatorially to benefit industrialists and in contravention of the Land Acquisition Act.
Elusive compensation
Lands of over 800 farmers, who had been cultivating for seven decades, were taken over. Hardly 180 farmers were paid compensation so far, Mr. Raghavulu said.
The district administration was denying compensation to the remaining farmers on the pretext that they had been cultivating government lands.
“The aggrieved farmers have been agitating for the last one year,” he added.
The Sakunala villagers climbed on the bonnet of a police vehicle and protested when Mr. Raghavulu was taken into custody on the village outskirts on the charge of violation of prohibitory orders imposed under Section 144 IPC and Section 30 of the Police Act.
High drama
Earlier, Mr. Raghavulu took different modes of transport to reach Sakunala village, even as the police were all out to arrest him en route. The CPI(M) leader was, however, arrested on the outskirts of Sakunala during his return journey after addressing a meeting there. Party State Committee member T. Shadrak, district secretary K. Prabhakar Reddy, and Panyam divisional unit secretary T. Ramakrishna were arrested at Orvakal and prevented from going to Sakunala.
Even as party leaders and activists were awaiting Mr. Raghavulu’s arrival from Hyderabad, the police swooped on the party office in a bid to arrest him. On being tipped off by partymen, Mr. Raghavulu did not come to the party office, but proceeded along the Kurnool bypass road till Nannur toll gate. On spotting policemen there, Mr. Raghavulu and two other activists boarded a Palle Velugu bus till Pudicherla. They then took an auto-rickshaw to proceed to Hussainpuram, from where he pillion-rided a motorcycle of a party activist to reach Sakunala.
