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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Land acquisition: meet on objections ends abruptly

Staff Reporter

CPI leader forces his way into the panchayat office

Over 2,000 acres sought to be acquired for Vodarevu, Nizampatnam port, industrial corridor
We will not allow State to take away cultivable land, says K. Narayana

Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar

High drama: CPI State secretary K. Narayana being taken away by the police at Adavuladeevi on Friday. —

ADAVULADEEVI (GUNTUR DT): A meeting called for conducting an inquiry into the objections sent by residents of Adavuladeevi to land acquisition notification for implementing the Vodarevu, Nizampatnam Port and Industrial Corridor (VANPIC) on Friday ran into rough weather.

30 arrested

Special Deputy Collector (Land Acquisition) R. Srilatha, who arrived here to listen to private patta holders’ pleas, was forced to beat a hasty retreat after CPI State secretary K. Narayana stormed the panchayat office. The police arrested some 30 leaders belonging to the TDP, the CPI and the CPI(M) and later released them.

The State government had issued a notification in July under the Land Acquisition Act (1894) Section 5 (A) seeking acquisition of 2,008 acres of patta lands in Dindi and Adavuladeevi mandals. Farmers were given a month’s time to represent their objections after a public hearing was held on August 16.

“We have received 139 individual objections, which we will be forwarding to the government through the Guntur district Collector,” Ms. Srilatha said.

Of the 2,000-odd acres, 912 acres belonged to land owners at Aduvuladeevi and the remaining 1,096 acres were from Dindi.

The CPI leader picked up an argument with the Special Deputy Collector, while CPI(M) district secretary D. Rama Devi and local TDP leaders soon joined him, and amid the din Ms. Srilatha retreated to the office.

The police cordoned off the premises after pushing away the protesters. They later arrested the leaders.

A poser

“We will not allow the government to take away cultivable land and give it at a throwaway price to industrialists.

We are not against construction of a port. What is the necessity of acquiring 25,000 acres for developing a port? Where will all these people go?” questioned Mr. Narayana.

The CPI(M) district secretary pointed out that individuals holding assigned lands were being meted out a raw deal as the government deliberately kept them out of the land acquisition process. “The district administration has not started the survey of assigned lands. Many farmers are at the mercy of middlemen, who have been coercing them into parting with their lands,” she claimed.

Amid levelling of charges and counter-charges over some people playing middlemen, some of the local leaders objected to “interference” of outsiders.

“This is our issue. We too are against land acquisition and we will deal with the government directly,” said Madan Mohan, a local leader.

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