The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : TDP plans Statewide protest on land issue

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Wednesday, Jun 13, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

TDP plans Statewide protest on land issue

Special Correspondent

Appeals to Government not to take fertile land from farmers forcibly

HYDERABAD: The Telugu Desam Party is gearing up for an information-gathering campaign between June 15 and 20 and launch a five-day Statewide agitation from June 21, in a bid to focus attention on land issues and the Government's policy on special economic zones (SEZs).

To gather info

Polit Bureat member Y. Ramakrishnudu told a press conference here on Tuesday that party leaders and cadres were all set to undertake the five-day exercise. They would gather specific information on how house-sites and more than one houses under the Indiramma programme were being allocated to Congressmen.

This apart, the TDP would ferret out information on how farmers were made to part with fertile lands in the name of SEZs and how such lands were cornered by vested interests for `real estate' use. Once the information gathering was over, it would be compiled and the party would launch agitation in every mandal headquarters town, he said.

Mr. Ramakrishnudu said that Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Maharashtra Governments had entered into an agreement with the Centre on earmarking one per cent of the States' total geographical area for SEZs. For Andhra Pradesh, this meant some eight lakh acres could be taken away, mostly from farmers, he said, adding that as of now, over 80,000 acres had been acquired for SEZs.

He said the party wanted the Government not to take fertile land forcibly from farmers. Only non-fertile land should be taken and that too, after proper compensation was paid.

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