Ryots cry foul, allege coercion by babus

Residents of of Karukonda and Vattem villages demand fair compensation for their land

Nagarkurnool (Mahabubnagar): Even as the authorities are making tall claims on farmers’ willingness to forgo their lands for Vattem reservoir, the ground realities seem to be poles apart. According to the residents of of Karukonda and Vattem villages where lands are being ‘procured’ for Vattem reservoir, the government is invoking its coercive powers to forcefully acquire lands.

It may be remembered that the District Collector held a meeting with villagers near the Venkateswara Swamy Temple in Vattem village and announced that the farmers had to part with their lands in the larger interests of the district development. The officials initially announced that the farmers would be paid a compensation of around 7Rs .5 lakh per acre.

After a few months, the figures being bandied about by them were Rs 3.5 lakh (for land without bore-wells) and Rs 5.5 lakh (for lands with borewells). The G O 123 which was invoked to procure the lands had clearly stated that “the consideration as agreed shall include the value of land and property, perceived loss of livelihood, equivalent costs required for rehabilitation and resettlement of willing land owners and others.”

The government, however, on November 28 last year brought another G O MS No. 214 by which the wordings about resettlement and rehabilitation in GO MS No. 123 were deleted. This means that the amounts of Rs 3.5 lakh and Rs 5.5 lakh per acre include resettlement and rehabilitation, which would be grossly unfair to the land losers and those whose houses are being submerged, according to the locals.

In view of this situation, over 100 farmers of Karukonda village who were aware of their rights under LARR 2013 decided to withdraw their ‘willingness’ in their letter to the District Collector. They affirmed that they did not intend to sell their lands. They stated clearly that they were not against the project which would irrigate lakhs of acres of land in the drought-prone district.

Their only concern was that they should get all the benefits entailed under LARR 2013 for their land they were giving away for the project. As per GO 123, the government must only purchase land from willing sellers after negotiation.

But the government machinery is resorting to coercion and undue influence on the farmers, they allege. According to the villagers, anyone who is trying to stand up for their rights is being threatened in an oblique manner by raising issues on their land titles etc.

High Court advocates N S Arjun Kumar, K Kishore Kumar and P Mallesh, who are working on legal aspects among the land losers, say that the government has no right to compel the farmers to part with their land.

“If it wants to forcefully take those lands, it must invoke Land Acquisition Act 2013 and follow due process. Only then the farmers, especially those belonging to SC, ST communities will be protected.

They have come across instances of coercion and undue influence of the government machinery and intend to petition appropriate bodies for relief to land losers,” they said. The government has already given administrative sanction to the Rs 32,500 crore project.