The ‘peace’ meeting convened between farmers opposed to the land acquisition for SIPCOT and the revenue administration ended in an impasse here on Friday.
The meeting was convened to the end the weeks-long relay protests organised by farmers’ collectives in the panchayats of Nagamangalam, Ayarnapalli and Udhanapalli, where over 3,600 acres of farm lands are proposed to be acquired for Phase V of SIPCOT.
The farmers had been organising various protests for the last 71 days in Udanapalli. In its wake, Paneer Selvi, tahsildar of Shoolagiri, where Udhanapalli falls called for a ‘peace’ meeting with the farmers.
The meeting was slated to be held in a small hall with limited seats. Affected public, including hundreds of women arrived in large numbers and demanded that all be heard and not just a few. The farmers, who had arrived for the meeting, eventually sat outside the taluk office condemning the arrangements.
Amid high tension and with the deployment of heavy police force, the officials recorded the objections. However, the farmers demanded that there be no acquisition of lush farmlands for SIPCOT and issued an ultimatum to cease any actions to survey for acquisition within a fortnight. The protesters also vowed to carry out rail blockades as the next course of protest.
