Farmers losing land for NH want to be stakeholders in the project in Telangana
Khammam: The farmers losing their lands for erection of the National Greenfield Highway from Khammam to Devarapalli have urged the central government to make them stakeholders in the project’s TOT (Transfer-Operate-Transfer) system, with due regard to the “sacrifices” they made for the nation.
The 167-km National Greenfield Highway is part of the Modi government’s Bharatmala project. The government acquired 1980 acres of fertile land from around 2,000 farmers. The farmers are not happy about the extent of compensation offered for their lands. Central government officials are still reviewing the rate of the land per acre fixed as '24 lakh fixed by the district collector.
The farmers, who came up with the new proposal would submit this to the central government soon. They are also considering to take the matter to the Supreme Court and explain before it the loss they are set to suffer as a result of the highway project passing through their lands.
They are also amazed about the money that contractors would make out of the toll-gate system and other service contract terms.
Kasara Rajasekhar, a farmer-cum advocate, who is losing two acres of land, said, “It is painful for us to lose our lands and the government is promising a certain amount as compensation to the farmers but the project will throw us out of homes and lands. Contractors will mint money on our assets. We are deemed to be made a part of the gains from this project by way of making us too the stakeholders. We will take the help of political parties to achieve our demand.”
All the lands that the farmers lost to the project are fertile ones and various horticulture crops are raised on these lands. The farmers suspect corporate forces may earn crores by getting contacts for the project and associated services.
Meda Gopala Krishna, a farmer from Rajugudem in Vemsoor mandal said, “The initial capital of any road project is the lands of the farmers and the government should be considered it as our capital. The price of the lands in the open market will be thousands of crores of rupees. The contractors, whose lands were not there and getting capital from bank loans, will gain massively. We, the farmers, get the crumbs. How can one ignore the farmers?”
As per the road project contract system, the contractor will get his capital amount, loan installments and profits; and the government will get its share on its capital, GST and a part of the earnings from toll gates. Our demand is just and genuine,” Dobbala Vengal Rao, another farmer in Raghavapuram under Chintakani mandal, said.
