HYDERABAD: More skeletons are tumbling out of the Nagarjuna Construction Company's (NCC) cupboard in Sompeta. If "manufacturing" consent of locals for its proposed power plant near Sompeta, as reported in these columns on Friday, was dubious enough, its land acquisition process was no less deceitful. At least, that's what the locals allege.
Three years ago, market value of the land in Binkili village near Beela was Rs 1.2 lakh per acre. A few businessmen arrived one fine morning and offered double that amount to the gullible villagers, most of them farmers. Considering the offer, they fell for it to their eternal regret.
According to Binkili residents, the businessmen had wanted to run aqua ponds by acquiring farm lands. The topography at Beela is such that the water body lies at the centre surrounded by agricultural lands. The water body itself is in a lowlying area. It means, lands close by are vulnerable to inundation and hence, command a lesser price. Under the circumstances, the offer from the strangers was too good to resist.
Those businessmen, it later turned out, were NCC agents, the villagers told Express. The exercise was, of course, aimed at acquiring land for the proposed power plant.
The NCC, after taking possession of Beela, a government property, started acquiring the surrounding private lands. The "imposters" had never revealed their true identity, the villagers said.
But gradually, all of them did come to know of the truth. However, they were happy in the belief that a power plant would help in creating economic activity. At this stage, officials of the NCC swung into action and started acquiring lands in Kuthuma, Mandapally, Rushikudda, Isukulapalem, Ramaiahpatnum, Gollaganddi and Baruva villages. Nearly 400odd acres were acquired.
"In Kuthuma, the NCC arranged a trip for us to show the Simhadri Power Plant (SPP). They took us around the corporate office and the lawns but did not tell anything about ash ponds and its effects. Neither were we aware of the need for such a pond. But later, after learning about the health hazards posed by a power plant, all the villagers went voluntarily to the villages around the SPP and were shocked to see the conditions. There, the people had many health problems," M Raju, a farmer, who sold 2.5 acres to the NCC, told Express.
This realisation was the basis for the yearlong movement in Sompeta mandal. The main fear among the villagers is that though most of them sold their lowlying lands, the affects of the ash pond (NCC planned to use Beela as an ash pond) will be felt severely. And that has been their motivating factor.