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Farmers warn of agitation against Sagarmala project

If Sagarmala road is connected to the highway at Achampet, there will be no problems and the farmers will not lose their lands

KAKINADA: There has been a stiff opposition to the land acquisition process for the Sagarmala Project connecting two ports-the proposed Green Field Port near Perumallapuram and Kakinada Port. Under the project, a road is proposed from the lighthouse at Suryaraopet to the National Highway at Annavaram.

A requisition has been filed for acquisition of land for developing the four-lane Kakinada anchorage port to NH 16 at Annavaram through Uppada Beach in East Godavari over a 40-kilometre stretch covering an extent of 239.65 acres. The road covers Kakinada Rural, U. Kothapalli of Kakinada division and Sankhavaram and Thondangi of Peddapuram division.

The joint collector of East Godavari has been appointed as the Competent Authority of Land Acquisition (CALA). Acquisition authorities have issued a notification on June 2 seeking objections from the farmer.
Meanwhile, farmers have strongly opposed the proposed road on the grounds that the alignment was so designed that it would ruin small and marginal farmers.

The fertile lands in U.Kothapalli and Thondangi mandals are helping farmers yield three crops. The Sagaramala Project initially proposed to link road connectivity to Gangavaram port and Kakinada Port through Vantimamidi in Thondangi mandal. But, some influential people purchased lands in the area and the government changed its alignment and linked the road to Annavaram highway.

“If Sagarmala road is connected to the highway at Achampet, there will be no problems and the farmers will not lose their lands’’ said Talisetty Tirupathi Rao (Raja) from Komaragiri village in U. Kothapalli mandal. He said that farmers are getting ready to make any sacrifices to protect and save their lands, which are their only livelihood.

Another farmer Parimi Gangababu said that the land acquisition is being made between their lands and some piece of land will be retained on both sides of the roads and rendering them unfit for cultivation. Some lands above the road will be flooded while lands on the other side of the road will be starved for water and destroy agriculture.

He said that the lands that are being acquired in Nemam, U. Kothapalli, Uppada, Chinnayapalem, Ramanakkapeta and Ravikampadu are being cultivated under Pithapuram Branch Canal and Yeleru Reservoir.

Former sarpanch Katari Rajababu said that the farmers will launch a massive agitation on the lines of Kakinada Special Economic Zone agitation and ‘Jail Bharo’ programmes.

Meanwhile, joint collector G. Lakshmisha said that the land acquisition was being held as per law and there were 66 objections from the land owners. Personal enquiry will be held on September 1 at the Tehsildar's office in U.Kothapalli.

It is only after hearing the objections that the declaration proposals would be submitted to NHAI for approval.

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