SANGAREDDY: Vemulaghat villagers staged a dharna at Thoguta Tahsildar's office on Thursday, demanding that Section 144 (prohibition of assembly of more than 10 people) be lifted in villages that would be affected by the Mallanna Sagar Project.
Villagers burnt copies of Section 144, complaining that their villages had remained under the restriction for 40 days. Protesters said that the government had adopted this attitude because they did not have the backing of the masses.
Hayath Khan, a farmer from Vemulaghat, said that people in his village were being treated like criminals for demanding their rights. He added that the government should compensate them under the Land Acquisition Act passed by the Union government in 2013, which was the only way they would consider giving up their lands. Laxmi, also from Vemulagahat, said that the government had destroyed the peaceful atmosphere of her village by imposing Section 144 and sending in the police.
Opposition parties unite
CPM district committee called an all-party-meeting on the Mallanna Sagar Project on Thursday. Leaders from TDP, CPI and Congress took part.
All parties were united in their demand for lifting of Section 144 from the villages that were in danger of submersion. They said that the government was treating the people of these villages disrespectfully.