Mudirajus between the devil and the deep sea

​Gajwel: People belonging to Mudiraj community continue to live an uncertain life in Siddipet, Sangareddy and Medak districts. Mounting debts have made them vulnerable to committing suicide. As if mounting debts are not burdensome enough, farmers in this community have become highly vulnerable to becoming landless due to land acquisition policies of successive governments.

Here is one example of how a farming family of Mudirajus is currently contemplating committing suicide if the State government takes over its land. Kashemayina Ramchandram (60) had inherited an ancestral property which has now shrunk to just 3.5 acres, after he alienated two acres of land for construction of KGBV hostel more than a decade ago when Chandrababu Naidu was the Chief Minister of erstwhile AP.

He, along with his four brothers who also lost their lands then, were assured they would get one gunta of land, but the promise was not fulfilled till date. Ramchandram lives with his wife Lakshmi, two sons and two daughters. Only his younger son Karunakar has been able to get a bachelors degree in Engineering. All others have not been able to finish high school.

He lives in a four room house which he constructed under Indiramma housing scheme with Rs 50,000 given by the government and the rest spent from his own pocket. It is a small unfinished house where even flooring has not been completed. That was seven years ago.

His elder son Narsimhulu is a father of three daughters who are still in their primary and upper primary schools. He has already been burdened with heavy debts and has been depressed for quite some time now.
The State government has approved construction of an outer ring road on the outskirts of Gajwel town and this has worsened their condition. Ramachandram and his family are in fear of losing whatever land they have for this project as according to the design, their land lies exactly at the intersection of two roads where the ring would come.

Interestingly, the land of a businessman who had bought some farm land a few years ago right next to Ramchandram’s land is free from being acquired for this project.Most of the lands going under this ORR are assigned lands of small and marginal farmers. Ramchandram’s land is patta land.

“We were offered Rs 6 crore for selling this land very recently, but we refused to sell it. With this ring road we will become landless. Even if we want to sell out land now, who is going to buy it? How will we survive,” asked at teary-eyed Lakshmi, as she waited outside Gajwel RDO office, waiting to speak to the RDO of the newly-formed Revenue division.

Initially Ramchandram’s land was not supposed to go under the ORR, but designs had changed. According to the Revenue officials, the final design has been approved by the Chief Minister himself and there is no chance for further changes.

“We are going to negotiate with Lakshmi’s family as per GO 123. If it doesn’t work we will implement LARR Act of 2013. If they are still not satisfied, they can always go to courts,” commented Gajwel RDO Vijender Reddy, speaking to this reporter and Lakshmi. Ramchandram, Lakshmi and their elder son Narsimhulu say they have no other option but to commit suicide if their land is forcefully acquired for ORR.

According to Ramchandram, contractor and officials in Roads and Buildings Department have been conducting survey of their land without their permission, stamping over their maize crop, despite his family resisting their efforts to trespass into their property.