VISAKHAPATNAM: Farmers, whose land was acquired for the Polavaram left canal in Pedapalli panchayat of Yelamanchili mandal in the district, are seeking a fair deal.

While the land has been acquired a few months ago and compensation paid, some of the farmers were rendered landless owing to the acquisition and turned labourers overnight. And because of the canal flowing nearby, the land value skyrocketed making the compensation of Rs.1.8 lakhs paid to them appear meagre. Now the land value ranges from Rs. 4 lakhs to Rs. 8 lakhs, say Peddapalli villagers.

Tales of woe

Four acres of land of Jerripotula Rajulu has been acquired for the canal. "This is where my land used to be with cashew, sapota and coconut trees,'' he said showing the huge canal near Pedapalli.

"Now I have become landless. Being a farmer I cannot convince myself to work as a labourer. I don't know where to go,'' he laments.

Boddam Chintalli, an old woman, and her family has been enjoying 65 cents of Government land for generations. "I had no means of livelihood after the land was acquired," she said at a meeting of the affected farmers at Peddapalli by AP Vyavasaya Vruttidarla Union (APVVU) on Sunday.

According to one estimate, 50 to 60 acres of land has been acquired from about 60 farmers.

The union's State secretary P.S. Ajay Kumar, Human Rights Forum member Kodandaram, retired chief engineers R. Vidyasagar Rao and M. Dharma Rao visited the village on Sunday. Villagers said some of the farmers were left with small pieces of land affecting their livelihood. Pandala Ramana, who was enjoying three acres of D-patta land, lost one acre and eighty cents and the remaining land was on a hillock, he says. He received no money.

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