THE CPI(M) has taken up the cudgels for a fair compensation and rehabilitation for people affected by land acquisition on a large scale by the TRS government in Telangana in the name of encouraging setting up of projects and industries, deciding arbitrarily to pay lesser compensation and take inadequate rehabilitation measures in violation of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. CPI(M) state secretary Tammineni Veerabhadram told a press conference in Hyderabad on the eve of a state-level political classes for the Party’s cadre organised for six days at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram that a conspiracy has been going on in the state to take possession of about four lakh to five lakh acres of people’s land in the name of allotting the same to industries and projects.  He accused the government of violating law for land acquisition and reminded that a petition was filed in the High Court challenging the government’s order intended for paying lesser compensation to the displaced people. The government order related to rehabilitation also is conspiratorial in nature and violates the central Act, he said. As a part and parcel of the process of making the CPI(M) a formidable force in the state, political classes were conducted in Nalgonda and Khammam also.

Veerabhadram announced that in the coming days, the Party would launch movements concentrating on the problems of the farmers, agricultural workers, Dalits, tribals and women, besides on the issues of land. He explained that the KCR government in Telangana has failed miserably during the last two years in solving the problems being faced by the Dalits, tribals, BCs, MBCs and minorities, who constitute about 90 per cent of the population of the state, and in fulfilling the promises given to them. In this background, on the formation day of Telangana, the CPI(M) would organise meetings and workshops all over the state and expose the failures of the government, he said.

A padayatra, under the banner of the Medak district committee of the CPI(M), demanding justice for the farmers and other people being affected and displaced by the moves of the government to acquire their lands to the extent of 12,636 acres in 17 villages in Nyalakal and Jarasangam mandals for the proposed National Investment and Manufacturing Zone (NIMZ), was inaugurated by Veerabhadram on May 19. Starting from Nyamatabad of Nyalakal mandal, the padayatra reached Sangareddy, the district headquarters, on May 24 when a meeting was held at the collectorate. Terming NIMZ itself as a fraud, Veerabhadram demanded that Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao explain as to why the government was acquiring such a vast extent of land and to which industries they would be allotted. By issuing government orders, violating the central Act, the state government is diluting compensation and rehabilitation and resettlement measures which the affected people are entitled to get, and it is not even conducting surveys relating to social impact and environment, he criticised.  Demanding that the government hold talks with the struggle committee of the affected people on all related decisions to be taken, Veerabhadram asked all political parties to unite on this issue at the inaugural programme.  CPI(M) state secretariat member Nandayala Narsimha Reddy, district committee secretary A Mallesam, secretary of  CITU R Sudha Bhaskar and several other leaders participated in the programme.

Addressing the concluding meeting at the collectorate five days later, Veerabhadram said land can be acquired with the consent of all the farmers concerned and  demanded the government pay compensation of four times the market value of the lands to the people from whom they are being acquired and provide all other facilities relating to rehabilitation and resettlement, under the central Act, to them and other affected people like agricultural workers, tenant farmers, artisans and others eking out their livelihood depending on land. Chukka Ramulu, state secretariat member of the CPI(M), said the padayatra has given self-confidence to the displaced farmers and the people would teach a lesson to the government with the same spirit, if justice is not done them.

A meeting of people being displaced under Mallanasagar irrigation project, proposed to be redesigned, was held at Yetigadda Kistapur of Toguta mandal in Medak district on May 22. Addressing the people, Justice Chandra Kumar, a retired judge of the High Court of Hyderabad, found fault with the move of the government to pay a compensation of Rs 5.6 lakh per acre to the displaced farmers against the market price of Rs 10 lakh to Rs.15 lakh. Suggesting that the project be constructed in an extent of one thousand acres of forest land near Yetigadda Kistapur, with the consent of the government of India, instead of shifting the entire village, he lashed out at the government for creating problems to the people in the name of redesigning projects. Asserting that the 2013 Act is a right of the displaced people, Justice Chandra Kumar demanded the government pay, in case it wants to acquire their lands, compensation, land for land, employment, house for house and charges for transportation under the Act. Veerabhadram said it is not fair on the part of the district officials concerned to mislead the people by telling them blatant lies that they would get more compensation.

A round-table meeting was organised at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram by the struggle committee of oustees of Mallanna Sagar project on May 28 in which leaders of CPI(M), CPI, Congress, DBF, several mass organisations, social activists and people affected under the project participated. Sarampally Malla Reddy said the powers-that-be in the TRS government have been adopting the devious means of filling their pockets under re-designing of projects.  He asked minister for major irrigation T Harish Rao as to why he was not taking compensation and giving his lands for the project. The meeting demanded the government pay compensation to the affected people and take measures for their rehabilitation and resettlement under the central Act and withdrawal of the two government orders issued by it.