While a section of farmers are ready to part with their lands for the Capital, another section is strongly opposing to giving up their fertile lands that yield crop all year round. The State government, which announced to develop the Capital city around the Guntur region, is landed in a piquant situation, following the mixed response to its proposed land pooling system.
The Krishna river started paying dividend to the farmers in Thullur mandal after several lift irrigation schemes became operational ensuring water supply to their crops 365 days a year. Farmers of Rayapudi, Sakhamur, Ainavolu and Velagapudi villages fall under the ayacut of the Rayapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme. Similarly the farmers of Vaddamanu, Nekkallu and Dondapadu are in the ayacut of Thullur LI Scheme. Farmers of Nekkallum get their water from the Ananthavaram LI Scheme. Farmers of some villages get water from more than one lift irrigation schemes. Ryots of Vaddamamanu , Ananthavaram and Thullur draw water from two LI schemes for their crops.
The farmers in these villages have one crop or the other in the field all through the year. Banana, yam, turmeric, cotton and a variety of horticulture crops are being cultivated in these stretches, which keep the ryots busy, apart from reaping good profits.
The government plan to acquire land from the area under the land pooling system came as a bolt from the blue for these farmers. Many of them are clueless as to why the government wants to take fertile land for building government offices.
Mallela Seshagiri Rao, a farmer from Rayapudi, said that 120 different types of crops were being cultivated in the area. Farmers of the village have got their private water pumping system and they cultivate crops through out the year. “Why should I be the one to sacrifice everything?” he asks. Despite Agriculture Minister Prathipati Pulla’s promise that the Cabinet-sub committee would visit the villages to aleey the fears of farmers, such visits to these villages are yet to be seen.
