Patancheru MLA threatens hunger fast over Annaram land acquisition

Patancheru MLA Gudem Mahipal Reddy accused the Congress government of offering inadequate compensation for acquiring 580 acres of farmland in Annaram village for an industrial estate and warned he would launch a hunger fast unless justice was done to farmers.

Sangareddy: Accusing the Congress government of plotting to acquire 580 acres of land in Annaram village of Gummadidala mandal by offering what he termed a meagre compensation to farmers, Gudem Mahipal Reddy, MLA of Patancheru Assembly constituency, on Tuesday threatened to launch a hunger fast demanding a handsome compensation package for the affected farmers.

Responding to repeated requests from Annaram farmers, Mahipal Reddy visited the lands on Tuesday and said he would stand by the farmers until they received their due compensation. The Congress government has decided to acquire 580 acres of land in Survey No. 261, which is fertile agricultural land. Farmers of Annaram have been cultivating a variety of crops on these lands to eke out their livelihood. However, the government has decided to develop the land into an industrial estate through the Telangana Industrial Infrastructure Corporation Limited (TGIIC).

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After interacting with the farmers, Mahipal Reddy accused the government of acting like a real estate agent on behalf of industrialists. Following the bifurcation of the State, the BRS government had issued pattadar passbooks to 117 farmers, he said, adding that they had been cultivating various crops on the land since then. However, he alleged that the Congress government was conspiring to hand over the lands to industrialists, causing great injustice to the farmers. While governments across the country were offering market value before acquiring land from farmers, he said the Congress government was acting against their interests.

He said protests would soon be held at the Sangareddy Collectorate and the Telangana Secretariat to highlight the injustice being done to the farmers of Annaram. Unless the government responded, he would launch a hunger fast to secure justice for them, he added.