TIRUPATI: With the State Government taking a hard decision to acquire 10,000 acres of agricultural land from the farmers, literally `at any cost' for setting up the Special Exports Zone (SEZ) in the Sathyavedu-Varadaiahpalem track, the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which has been spearheading a campaign against the proposal has decided to intensify its agitation.

To queer the pitch of its stir, the CPI (M) has decided to launch a 5-day cycle-rally in the zone from May 19 and to organise a massive public meeting on the concluding day with senior party leaders like the state secretary, B.V. Raghavulu to address it.

The CPI(M) objection is that the Government should not acquire such precious, fertile agricultural land, leaving in its wake, 6,500 families in the lurch. It is cut up with the Government that even in the presence of an alternative to the proposal, no heed was being paid to repeated pleas, except bulldozing its way with the decision.

The party leaders are wondering why the Government was stonewalling their suggestion that as an alternative, it could use land belonging to the forest and Endowments Departments as also the 5,000 acres Government land being enjoyed allegedly by `unauthorised persons'.

Not at farmers' cost

The CPI(M) hailed the industrial development but felt that it should not be at the cost of the farmers, their livelihood, namely, thousands of acres of fertile agricultural lands which they have been tilling over the years.

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