Telangana: Tension escalates in Lagacharla as villagers oppose latest official move to survey lands for acquisition

Villagers were staging protests against the official move to survey the lands, even as hefty contingents of police forces had surrounded the three villages, that shot to fame with their bold opposition to the earlier government move to acquire lands for setting up a pharma cluster.

Vikarabad: Tension enveloped Lagacherla, Rotibanda Thanda and Pulicherla villages in Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s Kodangal constituency on Friday, as farmers opposing the latest move to survey lands to be acquired for setting up a multipurpose industrial park.

Villagers were staging protests against the official move to survey the lands, even as hefty contingents of police forces had surrounded the three villages, that shot to fame with their bold opposition to the earlier government move to acquire lands for setting up a pharma cluster.

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The enraged villagers, then had chased away the district collector and other officials on November 12, 2024 leading to a spate of arrests of farmers. The farmers stir attracted national attention with scores of farmers being jailed for over a month for organising the protests.

Following the stiff resistance, the government had dropped the pharma cluster proposal, but unveiled a new scheme of setting up a multipurpose industrial park in the same place. The farmers of these three villages are again on protest mode now.

The three villages in Dudyala mandal forming part of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy’s Kodangal constituency are in the limelight again with officials turning up on Friday to conduct surveys for establishing a multipurpose industrial park.

The three villages, including Rotibanda thanda, Lagacharla and Pulicharla have been brought under a heavy security cover with literally hundreds of policemen being posted on security duties.

Undeterred by the heavy police presence, villagers began protests by raising slogans and holding alogt placards. The protestors including women women and elderly persons, in the three villages are holding to their ground in opposing the land survey.

Like in the past, they are vehemently against establishment of industrial parks in the region and standing firm that they would not part with their lands for the park.

At a few places in Rotibanda thanda, people argued with police and officials and demanded that the survey be stopped forthwith. They insisted that they do not want any industries in the region and permit them to cultivate their fertile lands.

The villagers and Vikarabad district administration have been at loggerheads over establishment of an industrial park in the region. On November 12, district Collector Prateek Jain and KADA Special Officer Venkat Reddy were chased away by villagers when they wanted to conduct a public hearing programme in Lagacherla. National Commission for Scheduled Tribes Jatothu Hussain Nayak had visited the villages and interacted with the tribal farmers.

Initially, there was a proposal to establish a pharma village and a notification for acquiring 1,350 acres was issued. But villagers raised strong objections, and a fresh notification was issued for acquiring lands in Lagacherla, Polepally and other villages to establish a multipurpose industrial park.