SANGAREDDY: While the state government is trying to expedite land acquisition in the erstwhile undivided Medak district, farmers facing displacement are also resolutely and relentlessly thwarting the government’s push. The government has been facing stiff resistance from the villagers of Vemulaghat in Thoguta mandal to acquisition of lands for building Mallanna Sagar reservoir from the initial stage itself but now people of some more villages have joined the resistance movement.
So far, the government has acquired lands under GO No.123 but paid different amounts of compensation for lands in different areas. It claims that it decided on the price of lands based on the market value in the area but farmers deny the government’s claim and allege that their lands were taken forcefully by issuing threats. Farmers from Vemulaghat and some other villages in Mahbubnagar moved the court which struck down GO No.123. The court’s ruling put brakes on land acquisition for some time.
At the same time, representatives of various farmers’ unions and people’s organisations, and political leaders started visiting the villages and telling the farmers to demand compensation as per the provisions of Land Act 2013 as they would lose heavily if they accepted compensation as per Land Act 2017. Without blindly believing these leaders, some farmers consulted lawyers and enquired about Land Act 2013. All of them —public unions, lawyers and political leaders —were unanimously of the opinion that compensation should be paid as per Land Act 2013. The farmers of Zaheerabad area are not ready to register their lands for NIMZ. Farmers demanded that they want compensation as per Land Act 2013.