Strategic silence of N Chandrababu Naidu's office puts farmers in quandary

Vijayawada: Around one lakh farmers of flood-affected agricultural patta lands across the state are in trouble, following the return of the sand mafia. This time the mafia has filed cases in court.

The mining, agriculture, industries and revenue departments which are supposed to file counter-affidavits to the cases filed against the government in this particular issue have been maintaining silence. The CMO also has not responded so far. The High Court verdict related to the decasting of sand from agricultural patta lands has given relief to the farming community across the state. The sand mafia has been frightening the farmers from doing decasting, in the name of the National Green Tribunal (NGT) order.

Even after getting relief from the High Court in the first week of November, the mafia has filed cases again in the High Court, which have hampered farmers from decasting the sand from their own patta lands.

The sand mafia, under the guidance of a few ruling party leaders, has created hurdles for farmers in the state, especially in West Godavari, Krishna and Guntur districts. The High Court order delivered in the first week has permitted decasting the sand free of cost, from the agricultural patta lands affected by floods earlier. With this order, Krishna district farming community has benefited a lot.

The High Court gave this verdict based on a petition filed by a few farmers of Krishna district, in which it has stated that around 3.45 lakh cubic metres of sand can be decasted in an extent of 35 acres, located in Lankapali Lanka village of Pamidimukkala mandal, of Pamarru Assembly segment, Krishna district. The High Court has directed farmers, who are owners of agricultural lands inundated in floods, to decast the sand.

They are not entitled to deal with the sand in any manner. “The Assistant Dire-ctor (Mines and Geology) shall be responsible for monitoring and decasting of sand to the extent permission was granted to the farmers. Only he can allocate sand to the public on an application or utilised by the government as per norms and he shall be held personally responsible if decasting sand is misused by any person,” the High Court order stated.