Kakinada: Victims of Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) broke down before Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan for the misery in their lives since the formation of KSEZ in Thondangi and U. Kothapalli mandals in East Godavari.
The victims narrated their tales of woe to Pawan and urged justice be done to them and their lands returned. Pawan interacted with KSEZ farmers and people of the area on Tuesday. The KSEZ Vyathireka Porata Samithi leaders told the Jana Sena leaders to consider the bitter lives of the victims.
A woman, Garaga Krupavathi of Ramarajapuram, said that during the late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy's regime, the then MLA of Sampara constituency, A. Buli Abbayi Reddy, and other Congress leaders had supported the KSEZ and showed their empty hands to people. The KSEZ organisers say that Rs.1.50 per acre compensation was deposited at the courts and the farmers were forced to give their thumb impressions on the documents and took measurements. The land was gone.
"Now, we have been left with nothing," she said and broke down. She said that the KSEZ organisers tried to take away her house also. "How can we survive without house and lands," she cried.
Another woman Varahalasetty Lakshmi of Ramarajapuram said that the then opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu came to their area and tilled their lands in the name of 'Yeruvaka'. He promised them to give back their lands. But, after assuming the charge as Chief Minister, he did not fulfil his promise. His government is sending police and booking cases against them.
A farmer Badireddy Tammaiah Dora of Ramavarappadu village said that he and his brothers had 15 acres of land. He educated their children by sending them to the city for which he had to incur debts.
"I and my brothers thought that if one or two acres of land was sold, the debts could be cleared. Now, the land has gone to KSEZ and nobody has come forward to buy the land. The price being offered by KSEZ would not be sufficient to clear the debts," he said with ashivering voice and broke down in tears.
KSEZ Vyathireka Porata Samithi Convener Chinta Suryanarayana Murthy said the Chief Minister's government treated the KSEZ people and farmers as criminals and terrorists and booked non-bailable cases and bind-over cases against them. People of the KSEZ area were living in fear and their lives are very miserable.
The former Speaker Nadendla Manohar said that when he was in the speaker during regime of the then Chief Minister N.Kiran Kumar Reddy, then the opposition leader stalled the house for five days on the issue.
