Hyderabad: In a big setback to land acquisition in the CM’s adopted village Erravalli, farmers passed a resolution against parting with their land for Mallannasagar.
Though some elders had agreed to hand over the land, they beat a hasty retreat as their spouses and other family members opposed them. It is learnt that they had been cajoled by irrigation minister T. Harish Rao and TRS leaders to hand over the land.
In tune with the mood of the villagers, the gram panchayat headed by sarpanch Narasimha Reddy passed a resolution stating the villagers were opposed to land acquisition.
After passing the resolution, the 200-odd villagers left for Sangareddy to meet Medak district collector Ronald Ross, but police blocked them midway.
The farmers undertook a padayatra for some distance and later got back their vehicles, met the collector and submitted the resolution of the gram panchayat. The villagers said they and their families were dependant on the land for their livelihood and would not part with it.
Another batch of about 700 farmers from Toguta mandal also marched to Sangareddy on Wednes-day and submitted a similar memorandum to the collector opposing land acquisition for the Mallannasagar project, officials said.
