Farmers anxious about their future

Frenzy at Thullur mandal over land pooling and grant of land to the government

The farmers of Thullur mandal are still perplexed over the State government’s plan to acquire lands in the area. Every visitor to the area is quizzed in great detail about any developments in the process.

The farmers regularly meet in small groups and talk about land pooling, land acquisition, the compensation they would receive and their future. The small tea stalls in the villages, which used to close at 11 am and reopen only after 4 pm, are now buzzing with visitors all through the day.

There is uncertainty over the decision of the government and their own future. They meet the landlords or revenue employees or even realtors on the road and pose questions one after the other just to get what they want. One can find such small group of farmers in every village in every junction these days.

Majority of the farmers in all the 17 villages of Thullur and Mangalagiri mandals are small and medium ones who posses land less than 2 acres. There are 11,820 small farmers holding a total of 13,978.55 acres of land, while another 3,074 farmers with 2 to 5 acres are holding a total of 10,516.89 acres. There are 938 farmers holding land above 5 acres and less than 10 with a total holding area of 6,147.83 acres.

Those holding above 10 acres and less than 20 acres are 190 in number with a total holding of 2,509.25 acres. There are just three farmers having above 20 acres, one in Rayapudi holding 28.73 acres and two farmers in Venkatapalem holding 65.75 acres.

Ministers and the legislator talk about big buildings, wide roads and bright future for the farmers ahead. The officials however have no information. All that they tell the farmers is the intention of the government to take these lands for building the new capital. The big farmers are placed in a comfortable position as they have bigger links with the ruling party.

The medium farmers, who have been leasing out their farms to tenant farmers, are either selling their lands to realtors or are ready to give them to the government. The worry is for these 11,820 farmers who hold less than two acres of land.

Some of the farmers who went to Hyderabad to meet Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu are either the big ones having 10 acres and above or those leasing their lands to tenants and not willing to continue farming anymore. But, the others, who want their lands to be with them, are now in the villages running from pillar to post to save them.