Jagtial: The protests against the master plans to set up industrial zones intensified in Kamareddy and Jagtial on Tuesday, with a landowning farmer of Rameshwarpally village in Kamareddy attempting to end his life over fears of losing his land.
The farmer, identified as Marripally Balakrishna, was admitted to the Government Hospital in Kamareddy. He is in critical condition.
The farmers’ joint action committee (JAC), meanwhile, in a meeting at Patha Rajampet village of Kamareddy, passed a resolution asking all nine municipal councillors to resign.
“Either resign from the councillor post or cancel the new master plan. If government wanted to set up industrial zone in master plan, it should identify government lands only. The resignations should be submitted to officials by January 19. If not, we will besiege the house of BRS MLA Gampa Govardhan,” the farmers’ JAC said.
Villagers of Ambaripet climb on the panchayat office building in protest against the state government, demanding suspension of the draft master plan in Jagtial district on Tuesday. (Photo: DC)
BJP councillors Kasarla Srinivas and Suthari Ravi tried to gain political mileage by announcing that they plan to resign from their posts in protest. They handed over their resignation letters to the farmers’ JAC.
In Jagtial, protesters from Narsingapur, Thimmapur, Kandlapally, Tippannapet, Mothe, Ambaripet, Tharoor, Hasnabad and Lingampet villages took to the roads.
A swathe of women from Narsingapur also staged a dharna in front of BRS MLA Sanjay Kumar’s residence in Jagtial town, submitting a representation asking the MLA to take the initiative to suspend the master plan.
The MLA assured the villagers that he would not allow “even a single gunta of land belonging to farmers” to be included in the master plan and to take the issue to the notice of the state government.
Sarpanch Merugu Ramya (Congress), deputy sarpanch A. Mohan Reddy (BRS) and eight ward members of Timmapur village panchayat, along with the director of the agriculture market committee Dumala Rajesh, resigned from their posts.
The Tharoor village panchayat passed a resolution opposing the inclusion of the village under a commercial zone. They took out a rally to the Jagtial municipality and submitted a representation to the officials concerned.
Protesters in Ambaripet village climbed onto the panchayat office buildings, raised slogans against the government and demanded that the collector visit the village to hand over the suspension of draft notification papers.
