Khammam: Announce compensation before taking up survey works

Khammam: "First finalise the compensation amount for our lands, which we lost for the canal construction, then start the survey works," farmers of Tirumalayapalem and Kusumanchi mandals in Khammam district demanded the officials.

Survey works are going on to acquire about 1900 acres in Tirumalayapalem and Kusumanchi mandals to construct 66-kilometer length canal to connect Palair reservoir from Sri Sitarama Lift Irrigation project. The officials have to collect about 835 acres out of the total 1900 acres in Tirumalayapalem mandal but the farmers of this mandal were obstructing the survey works, demanding the officials to decide the compensation for losing their lands.

The officials have tried to convince the farmers by saying that the law would not allow them to announce the price before the survey works and assured them of doing their best. With this gap between the officials and farmers, survey works have been stalled in two mandals.

Additional Collector Madhusudhan Rao and RDO Ravindranath tried to convince the farmers at a meeting but failed in their effort. A farmer, KV Rama Rao, said almost all the farmers, who are going to lose their lands for the canal, are having one or two acres only. But the government is not finalising the prices and trying to conduct survey forcibly, he added.

KV Rama Rao pointed out that each acre costs about Rs 40 lakh in open market and the officials are not giving clarity about the compensation they are going to pay.

Another farmer from Beerolu village in the mandal, A Rami Reddy, said that he is going lose five acres, the cost of each acre is Rs 40 lakh. But the government is trying to take land at cheaper price, he alleged.

Additional Collector N Madhusudhan Rao assured farmers that the government will do justice to them, by paying maximum compensation. But we cannot announce the amount now.