The Telangana High Court’s green signal for continuing works of Komaravelli Mallanna Sagar, a key component of ambitious Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project, has come as a shot in the arm for the State government.
As soon as the High Court made it clear that it would not stand between the government and the execution of the project, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao held a review meeting with officials on speeding up the entire Kaleshwaram Project, considered the lifeline of Telangana, as he intends to bring at least 45 lakh acres of parched lands in north Telangana under irrigation.
The High Court’s observation that it cannot stall the works for the sake of one or two aggrieved individuals may have left some bitter aftertaste among the petitioners who drew the attention of the court that contrary to its direction, the State government was going ahead with the construction of the project, though some of them had not taken compensation as part of the government’s rehabilitation and resettlement (R&R) package.
The government had already acquired 99.5 per cent of the total land of 17,865.14 acres required for Mallanna Sagar Project with a capacity of 50 tmcft under the consent award which comprises compensation for land and R&R package in lieu of loss of their houses. The government has to acquire the leftover land which is about 60 acres.
In fact, 93 farmers had filed petitions in the court alleging that the government had started the work though they had not taken compensation as part of R&R package. Subsequently, 60 farmers had accepted compensation. The remaining farmers refused to take the compensation and approached the court contending that the government nonetheless had started the works.
Though there is not much rancour about the R&R package, which chief minister describes as the best in the country since it involves allocation of Rs 800 crore, the farmers, who refused to take the package, contend that they were losing their livelihood. Even those who had accepted the package still feel a little uncomfortable as to how they should pick up pieces of the lives after shifting to a new house in a new village where they would have no land.
According to the farmers, they have an emotional bonding with land which cannot be quantified in terms of money. The R&R package too did not make any mention of allotment of cultivable land to the farmers and the government, according to them, is silent on how they should eke out a living as the money that they had got for land and houses might not last very long. Then there is the question of farmers who cooperated with the government in the initial phases of land acquisition, They are sore that they got less — about Rs6 lakh per acre — compared to those who had agitated against the package, about Rs11.5 lakh per acre.
As the agitation -- particularly by farmers in Vemulaghat who went on relay hunger strike for a record number of 963 days -- had forced the government in hiking the compensation payable to farmers. Now the farmers who cooperated with the government earlier are upset that it had ignored them despite their gesture of giving up their land for the reservoir.
The High Court while hearing the case, referred to the need for sacrifices. Quoting from Maharabharata, the High Court advised the farmers to realise that if necessary a family has to make a sacrifice for the good of the village, a village for the city and a city for the State and a State for the country. The court, however, made it clear that it would stand by them if their interests are not taken care of by the government in accordance with the Act in force. While asking the farmers to accept the R&R package offered to them, the court made it clear that it cannot halt a project that is intended to benefit lakhs of people.
Now it is incumbent upon the State to at least soften the blow on farmers who are helping the cause of the State.