Warangal: Farmers demand scrapping of GO 80A

Warangal: Not with standing the preventive arrests, farmers in large numbers took to roads demanding the State Government to repeal the GO 80A that entails the Kakatiya Urban Development Authority (KUDA) acquiring nearly 22,000 acres under the Land Pooling scheme. The farmers staged a road blockade at Nashkal under Chilpur mandal in Jangaon on Wednesday.

It may be mentioned here that farmers belonging to 27 villages have been up against the administration ever since the KUDA issued a notification for procuring land for the construction of outer ring road under the Land Pooling Scheme (Assemblage, Formulation and Implementation) to facilitate planned development in the areas of KUDA urban agglomeration some three weeks ago.

Contending that the KUDA's move will reduce them to farm labourers, the farmers made it clear that they will not concede their fertile land to the State Government. After a severe lash back from the farmers, the KUDA on May 11 issued a statement putting off the land pooling process temporarily. However, farmers didn't relent on the assurance, citing it as a solace for the time being.

The farmers' JAC convener Budde Peddanna said, "The statement issued by the KUDA is to dilute the farmers' agitation opposing land pooling. A similar statement was issued some eight months ago and the authorities came back again by issuing notification for acquiring land under land pooling scheme. Our agitation will continue till the GO is repealed by the government which is the only competent authority." The farmers said that they would beg and donate money to the State Government which was trying to do real estate business with their land to fill its coffers.

The Congress had already extended its solidarity with the stirring farmers. TPCC president A Revanth Reddy during his recent visit to Warangal said that Congress will back the farmers' agitation.

The BJP cadres led by Hanumakonda district president Rao Padma, former minister G Vijayarama Rao, state official spokesperson Anugula Rakesh Reddy joined the protest at Nashkal on Wednesday. Meanwhile, reports suggest that police had taken several farmers into custody at Inavole, Dharmasagar and Zaffergadh mandals, stopping them from joining the protest.