In what could be termed as putting pressure on the government to meet their demands, the residents of about 11 villages held a dharna on Friday demanding increase in compensation for land being acquired for Mallanna Sagar project.
“Pay us compensation as per the market rate or else we do not want the project. Let us live like this,” many agitators said on Friday during their dharna at Konayipally in Kondapaka of Medak district. Raising slogans against Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and Irrigation Minister T. Harish Rao, the locals demanded that they should be paid better compensation than what the government has offered so far. They even stopped the officials from entering the village.
Residents of Mangol, Konayipally and Metpally villages held ‘rasta roko’ and dharna at Lakudaram on Rajiv Rahadari.
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“I am losing about 22 acres of land which I inherited from my forefathers. The highest compensation being offered is Rs. 6 lakh per acre, whereas the market rate is much higher,” Marpadaga Jaganmohan Reddy, a resident of Konayipally village, told
“Several villages will get submerged in the Mallanna Sagar project. We are demanding the government to construct houses for houses and land for land at other selected places where new villages would be set up. The compensation being offered by the government is peanuts,” he said.
The government wants to construct Mallanna Sagar with 50 tmcft capacity so that it can meet the irrigation requirements of Medak, Warangal and Nalgonda districts. About 12,000 acres from seven villages – four from Toguta mandal and three from Kondapaka mandal – would be acquired, and the government has already started moving in this direction.
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“We are offering compensation as per government norms based on the registration value with the registrar office. However, they are demanding compensation as per market rate which is not possible,” said a Revenue official on condition of anonymity.