‘Naidu destabilising vibrant rural economy’

December 07, 2014 11:48 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 07:49 pm IST - VIJAYAWADA:

“There is utter chaos, tension and fear among farmers. With such blatant disregard for the rulebook, I don’t think Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu can carry forward his capital-building plans,” said G.M. Devasahayam, who heads a four-member fact-finding mission on land pooling constituted by the National Alliance of People’s Movement (NAPM).

Mr. Devasahayam recalled his experience as the Administrative Officer of the second phase of the Chandigarh capital project following the division of Punjab and Haryana and said it was carried out in accordance with a proper plan based on prescribed norms.

“There are more than 10 villages where land is extremely fertile and farmers enjoy multi-crop harvest. They are not willing to part with their lands. They are determined to stand united and resist land pooling,” he said, adding that some villages even had young entrepreneurs, including women, who had acquired more plots. “From tilling the land, labour work, reaping the crop and trading it in the market, they have established an amazing link from farm to the market,” he said.

On the fear-psychosis that has gripped the region, he accused the CM of destabilising a robust local economy. “A section of farmers practising single-crop agriculture has been attracted by the government offer and are considering giving up their lands. But, there confusion and uncertainty, and farmers do not have faith in the land pooling exercise,” he added.

Top News Today

Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.