KAKINADA: The Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) land issue has returned to haunt the State government. Hundreds of farmers from Ramanakkapet village in U Kothapalli Mandal of East Godavari district tried to enter the lands acquired from them for the SEZ on Sunday.
Farmers from Ramanakkapet village gathered in the area and marched to the acquired land to start agriculture works as part of the Eruvaka programme announced by them. Sensing trouble, a huge posse of police personnel was deployed in the village.
The police had a tough time controlling the farmers, who forced their way into the fields.
The farmers entered into an argument with the police for not allowing them into the fields. The two groups jostled with each other, leading to tension in the village.
Many farmer leaders were taken into custody and they were shifted to nearby police stations. Later, the police set up a picket in the village to prevent any untoward incident.
Meanwhile, several CPM, Jana Sena and YSRC party leaders from across the district were taken into preventive custody. The leaders, who were kept under house arrest for the past three days, were arrested when they tried to force their way to the village.
Jana Sena Party leader Pantham Nanaji and YSRC leaders were arrested and shifted to Indarapalem police station in Kakinada.
The Kakinada SEZ has remained a non-starter from the beginning. Farmers are agitating to get their land parcels back or higher compensation in lieu. Recently, the authorities announced additional compensation, but not many farmers are coming forward to accept it. The land acquisition for Kakinada SEZ began way back in 2005 when the then YS Rajasekhara Reddy government was in power.
The former Congress government had identified around 10,000 acres of land in Thondangi and U Kothapalli mandals for the SEZ. Though 7,400 acres of land were acquired for the SEZ, another 2,600 acres of land still remains to be acquired.
While the farmers in the 2,600 acres did not give their lands, the farmers who gave their land voluntarily are not happy now as the promise of giving jobs to them in the SEZ remained on paper. Interestingly, only one company, a China-based doll assembling unit, was established in the SEZ.
When he was in the Opposition, TDP chief N Chandrababu Naidu supported the agitation and he even symbolically ploughed the lands at a village in the area, promising the farmers that he would restore their lands when he came to power.
“Naidu had promised to cancel the SEZ. However, he went back on his promise after becoming Chief Minister,’’ CPM leader Duvva Seshababji said.