HYDERABAD: A day after a 38-year-old farmer in Kamareddy district's Adloor Yellareddy died by suicide fearing that his agricultural land would be taken away for the proposed industrial zone, TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy demanded that the government rescind the move immediately and compensate the family's kin with Rs. 1 crore.
In an open letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Revanth blamed the Telangana government for the farmer's suicide, accusing the Chief Minister of causing them distress due to the proposed industrial zone, which was leading to such suicides. The TPCC president demanded that the government pay `1 crore in compensation to the kin of farmer P. Ramulu, who committed suicide on Wednesday, while urging the CM to intervene immediately and alleviate the situation.
The deceased farmer Ramulu's wife and others attempted to stage a demonstration in front of the Kamareddy municipal office on Wednesday, but were stopped by police. The agitating farmers later staged a dharna on the old National Highway 44 near the Kamareddy bus terminal.
"While the farmers are distressed and worried that their lands will be taken over by the government for the proposed industrial zone, the CM seems to be mum on the issue without offering a word of assurance to the farmers. Farmers with small farm land are suffering, and CM and his son K.T. Rama Rao must assume full responsibility for the current situation in Kamareddy," he remarked.
The TPCC chief questioned why the opinions of all stakeholders were not taken into account when proposing to build an industrial zone in Adloor Yellareddy village in Kamareddy, and also accused that KCR's silence only reflected the government's attitude toward the farming community.
"The government has absolutely failed in handling the situation and failure of giving appointments to agitating farmers by the collector exposes the authoritarian regime of the current political dispensation in Telangana. There is an urgent need for a discourse on the proposed industrial zone. Our party is completely in support of the agitating farmers," Revanth Reddy said.
