HYDERABAD: The Ranga Reddy district unit of Bharatiya Janata Party will be organising a `Chalo Assembly' programme on Friday (August 25) to protest against the controversial land acquisitions for the Outer Ring Road and proposed townships.

Leaders like former Union Minister Bandaru Dattatreya, party state president Indrasena Reddy and activists, as also farmers affected through land acquisition by the HUDA and A.P. Industrial Infrastructure Corporation, will take part in the agitation.

The protest will begin at BJP state office near the Exhibition Ground at Nampally, said RR District BJP chief S. Malla Reddy and general secretary T. Malla Reddy at a press conference here on Wednesday.

Against irregularities

"We are not opposing any project including ORR or townships. We are only agitating against the discrimination and duplicity in giving proper compensation package to scores of affected farmers. There are many irregularities in the acquisitions and lands of influential persons are being protected," they said.

Mr. Reddy faulted the Government for issuing notifications in places like Mankal, Tukkuguda, Turkayamjal, etc., and later withdrawing them, thus leaving farmers in the lurch. At Khajaguda, Nanakramguda and places nearby, the land was handed over to private firms after buying out the farmers at low prices.

The BJP leader alleged that land at Shamshabad, Puppalguda, Kollur, Vattinaguluapalli and so on, was acquired for the outer ring road but the alignment was changed to benefit certain powerful persons.

"Either the ORR was bypassing lands of these persons or it was taken nearer to their lands to allow them to derive maximum benefit while the small farmers are being coerced to part with their land," he said.

Compensation package

Demanding a compensation of land for land or payment of market rate for those losing their land for the proposed infrastructure projects, Mr. Reddy claimed that the Government was acquiring more than 5,000 acres of private land for these projects.

Mr. Reddy also took exception to the recent public auction of land at Poppulguda. "The land has been sold for a hefty price without bothering to draw a layout or build basic amenities like water, sewerage and plantation since it has to be as per HUDA rules," he said.

The party has demanded a judicial probe into all the land deals. Other demands include reducing ORR road width to 250 ft from 500 ft, cutting down on land being acquired for junctions, building townships on Government land, compensation for those losing land under the gram panchayat layout, cancelling registrations wherever notifications were withdrawn.

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