Nellore: The YSRC, along with other Opposition parties, is gearing up to launch an agitation demanding the government to return 2,700 acres of land, which was given to Reliance Power for Krishnapatnam Ultra Mega Thermal Power Project in 2011, to farmers. Reliance Power announced its decision to put off the project in January 2016, due to escalated coal cost from Indonesia and still the lands are lying with the company.
The lands have been lying idle and the locals are up in arms against the firm because they gave the lands, which were under cultivation, after jobs were assured to at least one member in every family besides a special package. Sarveypalli legislator and YSRC district unit convener Kakani Govardhan Reddy inspected the lands on Thursday and demanded the government to take steps to restore the land to the farmers.
Speaking to mediapersons at the project site, he reminded that Chief Minister N. Chandra-babu Naidu himself had announced that the project is put off during his visit to Nellore sometime back. He suspected that the land is being transferred to someone else at the instance of the CM. Meanwhile, tension prevailed for a while when a large contingent of police, including four Circle Inspectors, four SIs and about 100 police constables, prevented Govardhan Reddy and his followers from entering the lands given to Reliance Power even as the legislator said they had come to inspect the lands.
The legislator pulled up company representatives G.R. Reddy and Srinivas after the police said they had come at the instance of company officials. They allowed the MLA and some of his followers later to examine the lands. Irked by the huge police presence, Govardhan Reddy said they would not rest till the lands were restored to the farmers and they were not afraid of police or bullets.
Referring to the Supreme Court order to return the Singur lands in West Bengal, which were given to Tata Motors for the Nano plant, to farmers without demanding to return the compensation, he advised the revenue authorities to follow suit in this case also. He added that he had already submitted a letter on the issue to the district collector on Dec. 1 last year and wanted the government officials to act fast on it.
