Telangana: RRR land acquisition, delayed compensation pushing Medak farmers into distress

Congress government which borrowed Rs 3,000 crore from HUDCO for the RRR project, prioritised payments to big contractors over affected farmers, says BRS

Medak: Anxiety over losing land for the Regional Ring Road (RRR) project and the inordinate delay in compensation is taking a toll on farmers in the region. Embari Bikshapathi (42), a physically-challenged farmer from Narsannapet in Markook mandal of Siddipet district died of heart attack on Tuesday, reportedly distressed over the acquisition of his land.

Bikshapathi had been cultivating various crops on his land, of which one acre was earmarked for acquisition. While land prices in his village are reportedly around Rs 1 crore per acre, the government was offering just Rs 8 lakh per acre as compensation, triggering severe worry, according to locals.

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In another incident, Kanchanpally Shekar, a farmer from Shivvampet mandal, attempted suicide after filming a selfie video blaming the government for his financial hardship. Shekar, who works as an auto driver in Hyderabad, said he fell into debt after losing income due to the introduction of free bus services.

With 25 guntas of his land marked for acquisition under the RRR project, Shekar had been making rounds of government offices pleading for compensation. Under mounting loan pressure and with no relief in sight, he recorded a distress message and attempted suicide at his village. He was rushed to the government hospital in Narsapur, where he is undergoing treatment.

Former Minister T Harish Rao and Narsapur MLA V Sunitha Lakshma Reddy visited the hospital on Wednesday. Speaking to reporters, Harish Rao alleged that while the government borrowed Rs.3,000 crore from HUDCO for the RRR project, it prioritised payments to big contractors over affected farmers.

He stated that land acquisition for RRR was completed during the BRS government’s tenure, but the present Congress government has failed to disburse compensation to displaced farmers. With the land already notified for acquisition, farmers are unable to sell or cultivate it, pushing them into limbo.

Rao demanded that Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy immediately release compensation, noting that many farmers have been running from pillar to post for the past 18 months without any resolution.