Farmers oppose land survey for Narayanpet-Kodangal lift project

Tension gripped Damaragidda in Narayanpet district after farmers opposed a land survey for the Narayanpet–Kodangal Lift Irrigation Project. Farmers raised slogans, demanded Rs.30 lakh per acre as compensation, and staged protests following the arrest of oustee leaders

Narayanpet: Tension prevailed in Damaragidda after farmers and land owners opposed land survey for Narayanpet-Kodangal Lift Irrigation project here on Friday.

Raising slogans against the government and worried over losing lands, farmers obstructed the officials from conducting the survey. In the melee, a woman lost consciousness and was shifted to a nearby hospital.

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In a video that is circulating on social media, a farmer is seen pleading the revenue officials not to acquire their lands for Kanukurthy reservoir. He even fell at the official’s feet and pleaded not to conduct survey and take over his lands.

The farmers charged that officials had arrived in their lands at around 3 a.m. without any intimation. Police personnel also accompanied the officials as a precautionary measure.

After arguing with the officials, the farmers squatted on the roads and fields raised slogans against the Congress government. The farmers said they were eking out their livelihood through cultivation and after government acquires lands, they would lose their livelihood.

To make matters worse, the farmers complained that the government was not offering fair compensation to them. They demanded the government to offer a minimum of Rs.30 lakh per acre.

Later, the police took Narayanpet- Kodangal Oustees Association president Venkat Ramireddy and a few other leaders into custody. Protesting their arrest, the farmers and villagers staged protest at Utkoor mandal and submitted a representation to Revenue Divisional Officer Ramchander Naik.

They demanded that illegal arrests should not take place and wanted the leaders, who were taken into custody, to be released immediately.