Guntur: Villagers of Tulluru mandal are conducting a house-to-house signature campaign against the use of fertile agriculture land for the new capital.
They are planning to send representations, with the signatures, to the President of India, the Prime Minister and the Centre.
Farmers, K. Obulesu, P. Venkateswarlu and others said that 1,000 farmers of Tulluru have already signed the representation and farmers of other villages are participating in the campaign. They said that they had voted for the Telugu Desam but now the TD government is trying to take over agriculture fields.
A farmer leader, M. Seshagiri Rao, said, “There are 8,000 acres of government land in Tulluru mandal. This can be used for the new capital without destroying fertile lands.”
“The Assemblies of TS and AP states, Secretariats, MLA quarters and other government departments were constructed on 250 acres of land in Hyderabad,” said G. Keshava, a student.
He added that his father owns only one acre of land providing income of Rs 2 lakh per year, but the new capital would force them on the roads. He wondered how a his family of four could survive 365 days on a compensation of Rs 25,000 per acre per annum.
Farmers are preparing to explain their plight to social activist, Medha Patkar during her tour on Nov. 11.
Meanwhile MLA Gheraoed, farmers body votes not to give land
The Primary Agriculture Cooperative Society (PACS) of Rayapudi in Tulluru mandal passed a resolution refusing to give lands for new capital.
The meeting of PACS was held on Wednesday in Rayap-udi headed with its president, M. Harindranath Chowdary, in chair and farmers of the village participated in the meeting.
They unanimously passed a resolution that farmers cannot lose their fertile lands for new capital which will deprive them of their livelihood.
Mr Harindranath said that PACS resolution will be sent to revenue and other officials and to the state government.
Meanwhile, protests of farmers against the take over of fertile agriculture land for new capital continued in Tulluru mandal.
Farmers gheraoed local MLA T. Sravankumar in Tulluru mandal during the Janmabhoomi programme on Wednesday. They asked how they would survive with a Rs 25,000 as compensation a year, after losing Rs 2 lakh per annum.
