Khammam: Around 350 poor and illiterate farmers belonging to Khammam and Bhadradri districts are fighting for rights over their own land, which have been occupied by vested interests. The farmers are going around tahsildar offices and collectorates of the two districts for restoration of their land, but to no avail.
Incidentally, land holdings of all these farmers are small, ranging from 0.5 acre to 2 acres. These have been taken over by influential sections. Vadlamudi Venkateswarlu and Jakkampudi Krishna Rao are among the 15 farmers of Gubbagurthi village in Konigerla mandal who are fighting for their lands, which are now, however, officially in names of other persons.
Revenue officials are unable to solve the issue owing to jumbling of survey numbers. There are 66 acres in survey number 232 of Gubbagurthi village. A criminal case is pending in Konigerla police station over this land. Interestingly, village revenue assistant Srilaxmi is among the accused in this case.
K. Bikshamaiah, a farmer from Kachirajugudem, has complained that a political leader has encroached his land. He has lodged a complaint over the issue with the grievance cell, whose cases are heard by the district collector every Monday.
D. Sankar, a volunteer familiar with land issues in rural areas, says: “The poor are illiterate and have no idea about maintaining proper land documents. Influential people are cashing in on the situation and encroaching their lands in collusion with revenue officials,” he underlined.
That endowment, assigned and government lands are encroached is well known in Khammam district. Increasing land prices are turning out to be a curse for illiterate farmers as vested interests, including local politicians; take over their lands after tampering with land records with the help of revenue staff.
There is a complaint from residents of Jellacheruvu in Kusumanchi mandal pending with Khammam Collectorate. As per the complaint, a residential venture company has encroached the government land that has already been allotted to them as they are poor. Without wherewithal to approach courts, they have chosen to approach the grievance cell at the collectorate seeking redressal.
Unable to find any solution, they are pouring out their issues in front of media too.
Such encroachment in Bhadradri district is more severe because of podu lands on one side and 1970 Regulation Act on the other.
