Do not yield to coercive tactics, Tammineni tells land oustees

Mucharla and 35 other villages are on the land acquisition radar of the State government for the pharma city project

Galvanising support:CPI (M) State secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram and party leaders participating in a padayatra against land acquisition for pharma city project at Mucharla village of Kandukur mandal of Ranga Reddy district on Saturday.- Photo: G. Ramakrishna

: CPI(M) State Secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram reassured the oustees from lands already acquired by the Telangana government under the controversial GO 123, that they need not lose hope, as the scope for struggle is still much wider.

The entire compensation due to them can still be extracted from the State government, if they join hands in the struggle initiated by Mallannasagar oustees for compensation under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013, he said, addressing a public meeting in Mucharla village of Kandukur mandal in Ranga Reddy district here on Saturday.

The village, along with 35 more in Kandukur, Yacharam mandals of Ranga Reddy district and Amangal mandal of Mahabubnagar, is on the land acquisition radar of the State government for the pharma city project.

Many farmers have already entered into an agreement with the government for parting with their land for a compensation of Rs.8 lakh per acre. However, Mr.Veerabhadram maintained, that an acre of land can fetch up to Rs.32 lakh under the LA Act, 2013, even if the registration value of Rs.7.5 lakh per acre is applied as market rate. Telangana government is trying to evade about Rs.6,500 crore by not following the Act, he said.

Mr.Veerabhadram participated in the ‘Padayatra’ initiated by the ‘Telangana Bhoonirvasithula Rashtra Committee’, and toured various mandals and villages in Mahabubnagar, Karimnagar, and Khammam districts, before visiting the villages marked for the pharma city.

While the widely inhabited mandals close to the State capital are not suitable for pharma city, the government is acquiring lands even before detailed project report (DPR) is prepared. Ambiguity still rules the acquisition, as it is not yet clear which lands will come under the project.

Only farm lands are being targeted with devious intentions, as eviction from habitations would mean resettlement costs for the government, Mr.Veerabhadram told the gathering of farmers comprising mostly women. Assigned lands too should be paid the same amount as the patta lands, he said, and cited the Supreme Court ruling to the effect. Besides, even artisans and agricultural labourers dependent on village economy are to be paid Rs.5 lakh per family. Claiming that the villagers were made to sign under coercion, he challenged the Minister for Irrigation T.Harish Rao and Chief Minister K.Chandrasekhar Rao to visit the villages and convince people.