Relocation threat panics farmers
P. Narayana who has been playing a very crucial role in the capital related matters
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2015-04-21 05:41 GMT
VIJAYAWADA: The villagers in the capital region especially in the ‘seed capital’ in Guntur district are now worrying that they may have to vacate their villages. The recent statements of ministers like the Municipal minister P. Narayana who has been playing a very crucial role in the capital related matters, and others and some officers are the cause of concern.
Those statements said that the four villages- Nelapadu, Inavolu, Sakhamuru and Velagapudi in the seed capital- will be heightened to avoid the inundation problem to the capital region in future. This made many villagers to fear that on this pretext of avoiding the redundant floods of Kondaveeti vaagu, the government may relocate their villages.
They are also trying to read between the lines of the ministers’ recent statements that they are preparing a comprehensive plan for the integrated development of all the 29 villages in the capital region on par with the proposed capital city of the state. Incidentally, these were the villages from where farners came forward to give their lands for the capital on land pooling basis, much ahead of the remaining 25 villages in the capital region.
The willingness of these villagers helped the government a lot in procuring the required land in the capital region as it played a crucial role in tilting the opinion of those farmers who were either reluctant or in two minds over the LPS, in favour of the LPS.
Naturally, the villagers of Nelapadu, Inavolu, Sakhamuru and Velagapudi were enthralled when their villages were declared as the seed capital. But that excitement exhausted with the statements of the ministers. In fact, some of the villagers expressed doubts even in the earlier stages over the continuation of their villages in the existing form in the proposed capital. Some even questioned about this in the village meetings attended by the cabinet sub committee to garner support for the LPS some months ago.
At that time all the public representatives belonging to TDP and the higher officials dispelled their fears saying that the villages will remain at any cost.
“When grama sabha was held at our village in November last year the ministers, the legislators and the parliamentarians clearly stated that our village will not be touched. But the fresh announcements confuse us,” said S. Sambi Reddy of Sakhamuru.
“We gave our lands with faith in Chief Minister N. Chanadrababu Naidu butthe ministers’ statements added fuel to the allegations of the opposition parties and various organisations that the government won’t spare the villages. If that happens then we will think we were taken for a ride by the government,” lamented M. Appa Rao of Velagapudi.