“I have about six acres of land and it will be submerged if the reservoir is constructed. Hence I am opposing the construction. If it was a compulsion to acquire our land, let the government pay compensation under the Land Acquisition Act- 2013,” says Nakka Swamy, who participated in the relay fast being held in the village for the 25th time.
D. Balakrishna was also of the same opinion though he does not having any farm land. “My parents are going for work and are making their own living. How can they live if the village is submerged?” asks Swamy, a toddy tapper.
D. Balakrishna, Nakka Swamy, Kasha Mahesh, Gandla Dasharatha, Adiyala Karnakar and Panuganti Swamy are relived lot on Tuesday. They had participated in the 171st day of relay protest being held in this village of Toguta mandal against the proposed construction of Mallannasagar reservoir, part of larger Kaleswaram project. They are fighting to save their village. They are ready to give land but are demanding compensation under Act, instead of GO 123.
On Tuesday the High Court Bench consisting of Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice A. Shankaranarayana stayed land acquisition under Section 40 of Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act – 2013, questioning the urgency involved in it. Section 40 deals with land acquisition under emergency purposes. The stay was given for four weeks during which the officials can not take up any activity. The district administration has issued notification for land acquisition at Vemulaghat (775 acres) in Toguta mandal and Erravalli (161 acres) in Kondapaka mandal under Section 40 of Land Acquisition Act- 2013 on September 29 and the farmers were given time for sixty days – till November 30 - to file their objections and some of the farmers had already approached the court questioning land acquisition under Section.
