FIGHT FOR SHELTER: District secretary of CPI (M) G. Obulakonda Reddy speaking to the poor who occupied land on the outskirts of Anantapur on Wednesday.

ANANTAPUR: Poor families led by leaders and activists of Communist Party of India and Communist Party of India (Marxist) occupied Government and endowment lands at three different places on the outskirts of the town on Wednesday. The occupants erected temporary shelters opposite Samathagram and near R.K. Nagara Colony and divided the land among themselves by marking house sites at the intersection of NH-7 and NH-205 on way to Sri Krishnadevaraya University. There was no intervention by the police.

About 500 poor families without house sites erected temporary shelters in about 12 acres of Government land in survey number 101 opposite to Samathagram near SKU after clearing the jungle on the site. They were led by CPI leaders M.V. Ramana, C. Jaffer, P. Narayanaswamy, Padmavathi and others.

Three acres

Later, another 500 families occupied about three acres of endowment lands in survey numbers 2145 to 2147 near the Tungabhadra High Level Canal. The party leaders alleged that the land was donated to a `mutt' headed by Muneppa Rao by one T. Chenna Reddy, but the heirs of Muneppa Rao were trying to dispose of the land valued at about Rs. 3 crore now.

District secretary of CPI M.V. Ramana said repeated requests to the revenue officials had fallen on deaf ears although the influential sections were "swallowing" the Government land in the name of `benamis'.

Meanwhile, poor families led by CPI (M) leaders G. Obulakonda Reddy, V. Rambhupal, M. Imtiaz, K.A. Ratnaiah and others occupied the 10-acre land allotted to SKU for construction of its engineering college, after the Government had decided to construct the college on the campus itself. University officials led by Vice-Chancellor A. Rama Rao tried to explain the position of the land, but the CPI (M) leaders argued that the site would be grabbed by politicians of the ruling party.

Special correspondent from Kurnool writes: Hundreds of families led by CPI attempted to occupy Government land at GPR Engineering college on the outskirts of Kurnool city on Wednesday. Revenue officials and policemen reached the place to prevent the encroachment and assured the protesters of housesites in all eligible cases.

State Secretariat member of the party K. Ramakrishana, State committee member K. Ramachandraiah, district secretary Bhimlingappa, city secretary Jagannatham and others took part in the programme.

Mandal Revenue Officer Mallikarjuna said house sites or housing units would be finalised in 20 days after applying.

False cases

Staff Reporter from Khammam writes: The CPI(M) and its affiliated organisations would intensify their struggle for land from May 19.

Andhra Pradesh Vyavasaya Karmika Sangham district president K. Narsaiah and secretary Macha Venkateswarlu said here on Wednesday that nearly 82 affiliated organisations of the partywould participate in the struggle in a big way.

Addressing a news conference they alleged that false cases were foisted against the CPI(M) leaders. Demanding withdrawal of all such cases, they said that the struggle for land would be continued until the demands were met.

Mr. Narsaiah pointed out that the assigned land in the district was in the order of three lakh acres.

But only 2.1 lakh acres of it was officially declared to be available.

No shelter

Meanwhile, the CPI (M) central committee member and Khammam MLA Thammineni Veerabhadram flayed the Government for its failure to meet the demand for housing. Many eligible families were still without shelter in both rural and urban areas.

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