Struggle panel to fight forjustice to displaced Dalits

‘Will stall aviation project if State government fails to act’

CPI(M) Prakasam district secretary P. Anjaneyulu addressing a displaced farmers’ meet at Kotcherlakota village, near Donakonda, in Prakasam district on Friday. —

The Andhra Pradesh Farm Workers Union (APFWU) has brought together small and marginal farmers in Donakonda to facilitate setting up of aircraft manufacturing and service units by the Titan Aviation & Aerospace India Ltd (TAAIL) in collaboration with Ukranian aviation firms.

Addressing a meeting at the sleepy Kotcherlakota village near Donakonda for a protracted struggle against the aviation project, which was all set to attract investments to the tune of ₹20,000 crore in phases, CPI Prakasam district secretary P. Anjaneyulu said it was unfortunate that over 7,000 acres of cultivable land belonging to farmers, a majority of whom Dalits, was allotted to the firm without taking them into confidence.

‘Pay compensation

under 2013 Act’

“Per se we are not against industrial development of the backward district. The State government should first explore the possibility of utilising over 54,000 acres of government wasteland available in Donakonda,” he said. CPI(M) State executive member J. Anjaiah said if the government had no option but to take back the land assigned to Dalits, it should first provide compensation under the 2013 Land Acquisition Act before going ahead with this project.

The APAWU activists would thwart the laying of the foundation stone for the project if the State government did not offer a fair deal to the oustees, including at least one job to a member of each displaced farmers’ families, said its district secretary K. Anjaneyulu.

MoU with TAAIL

The State government entered into a memorandum of understanding at the recent CII Partnership Summit in Visakhapatnam with the TAAIL to turn Donakonda into an aviation hub by manufacturing very large aircraft and aircraft using unprepared runways, engines for aircraft and helicopters, overhauling of aircraft from different countries and offer training for pilots.