Master Plan: Farmers fear losing agricultural lands

Nirmal: Farmers are up in arms against the authorities’ efforts to acquire agricultural lands for industries and widen the roads or create new roads under the municipal master plan in Nirmal town.

As part of the new master plan, places will be identified for new roads, parks and dumping areas, link-roads and residential areas, government offices, and industries to meet the needs of the ever-increasing urban population.

The draft of the master plan was designed after a lag of 25 years. Right now, the old master plan of 1990 is being implemented.

The master plan takes into account the needs of the municipality vis-à-vis the basic amenities for the residents in the next 25 years. In this, a road was proposed linking the new collectorate and the St Thomas School junction on Mancherial Highway; and and another linking the Ramaraopet, Vishwanathpet, Naiduguwada, and Bangalcheruvu (Vinayaksagar) areas to the Tirumala function hall beside the old NH-7.

Farmers who own lands near these colonies raised their objections over the erection or widening of roads through their fields as per the (draft) master plan. The final master plan would require a nod from the directorate of town planning.

The new Collectorate building is being constructed in the ‘shikam land’ of Kocheruvu. It is 8km from the Nirmal bus stand but just one km away from Yellampalli village, the native place of forest minister Allola Indrakaran Reddy.

The farmers staged a protest in front of the Nirmal Municipality and submitted a memorandum to the district officials and municipal chairman Eshwar on Jan 17.

Farmer Kunta Lingaiah of Gollapet told Deccan Chronicle that he would lose his small land holding, a livelihood for his family, if the municipality lays a new road. The same worry haunts several farmer families.

Farmers suggested that, instead, the bund of the Bangalpet tank be widened for traffic, instead of erecting a new road through agricultural lands.

Farmers who owned their lands in Thelwada and Manjulapur areas, which is 3km from the town, are also worried an industrial area is planned in their locality and agricultural lands would be taken away for this purpose. The Thelwada and Manjulapur areas fall on the Nirmal- to Bhainsa route.

The municipal authorities are urged to have a rethink on the laying of a new road from the Mancherial highway to the Gandiramanna area linking it to the old NH-7.

A 30-feet road exists in the area where a new road or road-widening is being planned. The road may be widened to 80 feet instead of the proposed 100feet.

Notably, farmers are not ready to lose their agricultural lands on the outskirts of the town also as the land values have gone up manifold after Nirmal was made a new district. Subsequently, a real estate boom came, with realtors being active with support from political leaders in and around Nirmal town.

Several Golusukattu Cheruvulu (small water tanks) exist around the town. These had been dug during the rule of Nimmanaidu. Many of them were already encroached upon and buildings were constructed.

The high court meanwhile asked Collector Musharaff Faruqi Ali to submit a report on the encroachment of the tanks and government lands in and around Nirmal town.

An allegation is that a road was laid to the new integrated collectorate building through a tank, against the FTL (Shikam) norms in order to create a demand for real estate ventures in the lands owned by some ruling party leaders.

The construction of a new collectorate building in the low-lying area, far away from Nirmal town, has raised a controversy. Locals say a few water bodies including Khajana cheruvu, Bangal cheruvu, Ramsagar Cheruvu, Geethasagar Cheruvu and Kocheruvu are close to the new collectorate area.