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Road alignment through fields creates panic among farmers
Farmers belonging to five mandals of Tirupati revenue division are vehemently opposing the proposed roads through their farm fields in the draft master plan of the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA). The issue took a political turn with opposition parties extending support to farmers.
Tirupati: Farmers belonging to five mandals of Tirupati revenue division are vehemently opposing the proposed roads through their farm fields in the draft master plan of the Tirupati Urban Development Authority (TUDA). The issue took a political turn with opposition parties extending support to farmers.
The YSRCP and Congress leaders demanded the TUDA should not include laying of roads through agriculture fields in the draft master plan. It may be noted that the TUDA had released a draft master plan on January 6 for collecting views of the people. In the draft master plan, the TUDA proposed laying 80 and 60 feet roads through farm fields in Yerpedu, Renigunta, Tirupati rural, Ramachandrapuram and Chandragiri mandals.
Farmers have expressed dissatisfaction over the TUDA for proposing roads through their farms in the master plan without conducting meetings in the villages. As per the government guidelines, the TUDA officials should discuss with the farmers by holding meetings in villages about the proposed master plan and seek opinions from them.
Farmers have alleged that the TUDA and Lee Associates, who designed the master plan, did not organise village meetings. After releasing the draft master plan, farmers have been visiting the TUDA office with their land records and requesting the officials not to lay the roads through their agriculture fields, instead, they urged officials to widen the existing narrow roads.
Official sources said that the draft master plan has proposed to lay 10 new 80 feet wide roads. Taking advantage of the situation, few second-rung TDP leaders are assuring farmers of influencing the TUDA officials and making changes in the master plan if they pay cash to them. As per the draft master plan, small and marginal farmers are going to lose their agricultural lands.
Two days ago, city Congress unit and Rayalaseema Porata Samithi (RPS) have staged a dharna in front of the civic body office against the draft master plan. Speaking to The Hans India, RPS convener P Naveen Kumar Reddy found fault with the TUDA officials for finalising the master plan without conducting village meetings. “TUDA should make changes regarding roads in the master plan,” he stated.
By K Nethaji
