Rythu Sangham opposes land pooling

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham on Wednesday asked the State government to withdraw land pooling proposal for the Machilipatnam Port and Industrial corridor.

The Rythu Sangham president B Balaram and general secretary Vangala Subba Rao took strong exception to the government’s decision to take 36,000 acres of land. They said that the government had issued GO 185 proposing to take the lands from 29 villages, in the name of Machilipatnam Area Development Authority (MADA).

The port will require just 2,000 acres as per international standards. There is no need for the government to take lands from the farmers and sell them to the industrialists,” the duo said. They advised the government to leave the option of selling lands to the industrialists, to farmers.

Subba Rao recalled the agitation launched by the TDP leaders in the past, when the then Chief Minister Y S Rajasekhar Reddy had proposed to acquire 5,000 acres for the port. “TDP leaders, who opposed the move then stating that 2,000 acres were enough for the port were now trying to take thousands of acres from the farmers for the same port,” he remarked.

He asked the government to withdraw the GO and acquire lands under the Land Acquisition Act, 2013 giving due compensation to the farmers. He also advised the government to construct the port leaving the industrial corridor to the industrialists.

The government may offer tax and other benefits to the industrialists, who wish to establish industries around the port. There was no need to offer them the land too. Let the industrialists buy the lands directly from the farmers,” Subba Rao averred.

Balaram and Subba Rao said that the Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham would support the farmers and fight for their rights if the GO was not withdrawn.