AP govt in land storm

Farmers protests affects Naidu’s plans

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government, which is taking up several projects, including a world-class capital at Amaravati, international airport at Vijayawada, a missile testing project at Kurnool, Machilipatnam port and Bhogapuram International Airport, is caught in a land storm and is facing stiff resistance in certain stretches from farmers who are not willing to part with their land.

While the Opposition parties -- YSRCP, Communists and Congress –along with social activists are strongly opposing the proposal to build a green field capital on the banks of river Krishna saying that one-third of the capital city site is irrigated multi-crop area and is prohibited from being acquired even for public purposes,

Minister for Municipal Administration P Narayana and other TDP leaders say that it is more of a political resistance organized by the Opposition parties as they fear that their existence would be at stake if the ultramodern capital city comes up.

Though the ministers claim that more than 30,000 acres of land has been acquired through the land pooling system by persuading the farmers, still there are farmers refusing to part with 1600 acres of fertile lands. This is where the problem lies and the protest here seems to be leading to major (land) storm.

The ministers further allege that the people belonging to at least nine villages on the banks of the Krishna river who are vehemently opposing to part with their land are dominated by the YSRCP and Congress. In fact, the farmers’ associations of these villages claim that the lands the government proposes to take away are very fertile and yield three crops a year for them.

The farmers’ leaders allege that the government had never taken them into confidence and that the decisions taken were autocratic and unilateral. The government is also facing stiff resistance from farmers in regard to acquiring 2400 acres of land for the Vijayawada International Airport.

There is also an agitation against the land acquisition for the Bandar port. The government proposes to acquire 14500 acres for the purpose. About 22 villages are likely to be affected in the process. The farmers say that they are not opposing the port but they are not ready to give up lands for industries which could lead to high-levels of pollution.

The farmers expressed this to State Minister K Ravindra and MP K Narayana, who went round the villages and held talks with the people who would be affected during the last two days. The issue before the government now is whether to try and pursue the farmers to part with their lands or shift the port to some other area.

The situation in regard to acquiring 5,551 acres in Bhogapuram in Visakhapatnam for the construction of international airport has also got into trouble. The farmers had shooed away the team of surveyors. It is alleged that of the 10,000 population 8,000 are landless agriculture workers purely depending on the farm work apart from NREGA employment which they get during summer.

Of them 2,000 odd belong to the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes, 1000 toddy tappers, 400 to 500 barbers and washermen communities and remaining are Yadavas rearing cattle and sheep. In Sompeta, the government is facing a different kind of problem. Though it had recently cancelled the GO for constructing 2640 MWs Thermal power plant (TPP), the government has not said anything about returning the land to the farmers.

Though there is not much of a problem in regard to the Missile Testing Project at Kurnool as it is government land. Here it needs to alienate the land from the SCs and STs.