Farmers belonging to Balkonda, Darpally, Velpur, Morthad and Sadasivanagar mandals under the banner of the Kisan Keth Congress staged rasta-roko and dharna here on Saturday demanding the payment of suitable compensation for their lands over which the Power Grid Corporation was laying High Tension lines.
Addressing a gathering of farmers the KKC State president and former MLA M. Kodand Reddy said that despite several representations made to the State Government it remained silent over the demand. Farmers in the district lost 765 acres of fertile farm land due to the laying of HT line, he said.
Farmers in Ranga Reddy district got good compensation when they faced similar problem a few years ago and the British Government in India had brought the Telephone Act in 1883 and paid the compensation as per the Act when it laid telephone lines, he reminded the government. He also criticized the Government for the alleged non-payment of input subsidy to farmers till date. Former Speaker K.R. Suresh Reddy said that it was not fair on the part of Government to avoid payment of compensation to the farmers under Mallannasagar Project. He said that compensation must be given to farmers as per the 2013 Act enacted during the Congress-led UPA rule. He also suggested to the TRS regime not to grab the lands instead persuade farmers to hand them over on their own. Former MLA E. Anil, DCC president Taher Bin Hamdan and TPCC general secretary Gadugu Gangadhar also spoke.
