The Congress party extended its support to the ongoing agitation by land oustees of Mallannasagar and assured them that it would move the Supreme Court in the quest for justice.
The party is getting ready to submit a petition to the President Pranab Mukherjee on September 14 or 15, said Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee President N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, demanding implementation of the Land Acquisition Act-2013.
At a meeting held here on Monday to express solidarity with farmers fighting against the proposed Mallannasagar reservoir, a part of Kaleswaram project, he alleged that the government was ‘misinforming’ even the Courts on this issue. Terming the redesign of projects a ‘scam’, he wondered if a reservoir of 50 tmcft capacity was needed when 1.5 tmcft was enough.
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Former Deputy Chief Minister C. Damodar Rajanarasimha wondered why the Ministers were not visiting the Mallannasagar villages and why Gramasabhas were not being held in these villages. He said as many as 14 cases were filed in the court regarding land acquisition.
“We salute your fighting spirit and will be with you,” said Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council, Mohd. Shabbir Ali, while senior leader Marri Shashidhar Reddy asked why the government failed to ask for national project status for Kaleswaram.
The relay fast by farmers of Vemulaghat, the only village steadfast in its fight against Mallannasagar, reached the 100 day on Monday. All of them wore black T-shirts with the words “We want implementation of Land Acquisition Act 2013” in white letters and took out a rally raising slogans against the government.
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District Congress Committee President V. Sunitha Lakshma Reddy, who presided, said Telangana government was offering compensation under the same Act for those losing lands in Maharashtra.
Senior leaders who participated in the meeting included C. Damodar Rajanarasimha, V. Hanumantha Rao, D.K. Aruna, P. Sabita Indra Reddy, D. Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar and K.R. Suresh Reddy.