DETERMINED BID: An elderly woman digging earth to erect a makeshift hut on the outskirts of Nalgonda on Tuesday. — PHOTO: NAGARA GOPAL

NALGONDA: Hundreds of poor under the aegis of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) on Tuesday occupied 17 acres of the Government land on the outskirts of the district headquarters at Ramnagar on Miryalaguda road and put up makeshift tents.

Led by the district secretary of the CPI (M) and former MLA Nandhyala Narasimha Reddy, they reached the vacant land (survey numbers 378 and 380) early in the morning along with bamboo sticks, tents and other paraphernalia.

Many of them selected some portion of the land of their own choice and erected makeshift tents. A good number of CPI (M) and CITU activists stood guard at the `occupied land' to confront the police.

However, a police team visited the spot but went back without much ado, a CPI (M) leader said. They made it clear that they would remain there till the Government allocated land pattas for them.

"Being a poor woman, I have been waiting for the Government land to construct a house for more than two decades," one of the activists A. Padma said adding that she was ready to fight with `any force' that came in her way to get a piece of land. The activists are preparing for a show down with the police in the next couple of days.

Mr. Narasimha Reddy told reporters that the Government had failed to allocate house sites for poor despite the repeated appeals made by them. "We are forced to occupy the land today. The poor are ready to face any eventuality for their right," he announced.

"We identified 138 centres where the Government land is available in the district and the occupation has been complete in 70 centres," he said.

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