Slowly, but surely, the agitation against acquiring land under GO 123 and GO 214 is gaining strength and the agitators are trying to come under one umbrella. Land oustess are demanding payment of compensation under the Land Acquisition Act 2013.
Etigaddakishtapur has become epic centre of activity with almost every political leader and social activist trying to visit the village.
Though initially the protests by residents did not get much focus, though they were on agitation mode for the past few months, as many as 13 women fell unconscious on May 14 at Etigaddakishtapur, and the CPI(M) commencing padayatra from Erravalli, both submerging villages, got national attention. Later, it was visited by PCC leader Ponnala Lakshmaiah, Congress Kisan Cell president M. Kondanda Reddy, CPI (M) general secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram, former judge Justice Chandrakumar, All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) leader Sarampally Malla Reddy, Human Rights Forum convenor Jeevan Kumar among others.
The government has been proposing to acquire 20,079 acres, adversely impacting as many as 14 villages. The residents of all these villages - which includes habitations and hamlet villages expected to get submerged under the proposed Komuravelli Mallanna Sangar project, part of Kaleswaram project, have decided to observe ‘Black Day’ on June 2, the Telangana Formation Day.
G. Jayaraj, secretary, AIKS, held a meeting with residents of the two villages on Friday and few more meetings are on cards.
“We have decided to register our protest and wear black badges on June 2. We are contacting the residents of other villages as well,” said Mannem Mahipal Reddy of Erravalli.
Meanwhile on Saturday, the Mallanna Sagar land oustees met Congress party leaders at Gandhi Bhavan and sought their support in their fight for right compensation. Zaheerabad legislator J. Geeta Reddy, while extending support for their agitation, questioned the rationality behind not paying compensation under the Land Acquisition Act.
