Mohd Burhan, a small farmer, is faced with a piquant situation. He has to marry off his daughter and all he has is a piece of land to meet the expenditure. Well, he is prepared to sell away his 10 guntas situated at Ibrahimpally near Chevella for the marriage. But there are simply no takers.
A few years ago he did just that to marry off his elder daughter.
But this time round, the land prices have nose-dived. Nobody is prepared to shell out even Rs. 5 lakh per acre while not long ago, it fetched between Rs. 50 and Rs. 60 lakh.
The same piece of land on the road is valued at Rs. 2 crore.
If you think there must be something terribly wrong with Burhan’s land, forget it. It is as fertile as any other - only it has high tension electricity towers installed in it. This has rendered the land below the tower and 80 feet on either sides of it useless. Burhan can’t raise a crop here nor can he build a house or shop. Radiation from the power lines further queers the pitch.
Burhan is not alone in this catch-22 situation. Scores of farmers in Shankarpally, Chevalla, Shahbad, Maheswaram, Kandikur, Rajendernagar and other Mandals in Ranga Reddy district are facing an uncertain future with the Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) in association with the APTransco laying 700 towers in the last three years. The stringing of power lines is stopped following strong protests from the farmers.
7,000 farmers affectedFarmers stand to lose an average of 400 meters under the tower and 12 acres between tower to tower. Most of them have small holdings of 10 guntas to a maximum of 1 acre. Under each tower one farmer is affected and between two towers 10. At this rate, 7,000 acres and as many farmers are adversely affected by the 700 towers.
But what the government has decided to pay by way of compensation after a prolonged battle is a pittance. The Ranga Reddy Collector recently fixed Rs. 65 per meter for the land under the tower while the market value is close to Rs. 1,000 per sq. yd. So far the Transco has paid compensation only for the crops damaged and not for the land rendered useless.
“There is a sharp drop in resale value. Nobody is now ready to purchase the land with towers. Who will pay for my losses”, asks a distraught Chandra Reddy who is totally dependent on the land for education of his son.
As per the Electricity Act, 2003, the land owners have to be given notices before the towers are installed and the lines drawn. Further the PGCIL has to fix the compensation on the basis of the prevailing market value in consultation with the land owners. These rules are observed more in breach with the authorities arbitrarily fixing the compensation.
Since 2003 the PGCIL is believed to have laid over 80,000 circuit transmission lines throughout the country. “And by not following the rules it has caused huge losses to millions of farmers whose compensation has now to be calculated with retrospective effect”, says P. Chengal Reddy, secretary general, Consortium of Indian Farmers Associations (CIFA). The Supreme Court ordered 35 per cent of the diminution of land value to be taken into account while paying compensation. It further wanted an additional 10 per cent compensation to be paid every year for delay in payment. “But none of these orders have been implemented by the authorities,” rues Mr. Reddy.
Being a farmer means shaking hands with nature. But for most it is akin to shaking hands with trouble.
