Anguished farmers warn of adverse impact

Vijayawada: An anguished farmer, who was returning to his native village by bus after attending the bhoomi puja for state capital at Mandadam village in Guntur district on Saturday, appealed to his fellow passengers to bid goodbye to greenery as it would vanish soon.

Seetharamaiah, a septuagenarian, who was relaxing under a tree in Mandam village, unmindful of the big event of the bhoomi puja for the capital city, said people would know the impact of destroying thousands of acres of fertile land in future when they will be forced to buy vegetables for more than Rs 100 a kg, in the absence of cultivation in the region.

The farmer, P Krishna of Lingayapalem village, who gave away his one acre land, said at least the puja had cleared the confusion about the capital city location. Referring to the assurances of the Chief Minister over a stake for farmers in the development of the State capital, he said farmers, who love nature, feel uncomfortable amidst high rise structures and it is inevitable to migrate to nearby villages or towns.

The farmers of the capital region have no choice except to offer their lands to the capital while some, who have land more than one acre, have offered one or two acres under land pooling while sold the remaining area, he added. He was not alone in lamenting about a bleak future staring at them. Papa Rao, a farmer from Malkapuram village said he was left with no choice except to wait for his share in the capital development.

By:P V Krishna Rao