Farmers seek compensation at market rate

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, DEC. 5. Farmers owning the 5,000 acres of land marked for acquisition for the proposed international airport at Shamshabad near here, have demanded compensation at the market rate of Rs. 15 lakhs to Rs. 20 lakhs per acre, rejecting the rates offered by the Government.

They have formed an organisation named "Shamshabad International Airport All-Welfare Association" (SIAAWA) and are planning an agitation.

According to Mr. M. Narender Reddy, its president, the acquisition will affect a large number of families in 12 villages located in Shamshabad, Maheswaram and Saroornagar mandals in Ranga Reddy district. Most of the owners are marginal farmers, eking out a living out of two or three acres, and they mostly belong to SC, ST and BC communities, he said.

Mr. Reddy articulated the grievances of these farmers at a State- level meeting on displacement and rehabilitation issues, organsied at Sundarayya Vignana Kendram here by Campaign for Housing and Tenurial Rights (Chatri) with environmentalists like Mr. V.K. Bawa, a retired IAS officer, and Capt. J. Rama Rao, and Rev Br. T. Verghese, a champion of the cause of the displaced under Nandanavanam project.

Mr. Reddy said, Hayathnagar, Kompalli and Patancheru were away from the city by 40 km, 20 km and 35 km respectively and yet the lands in the areas lying in between them commanded a market price of Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 5,000, Rs. 7,500 to Rs. 12000 and Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 per square yard. Compared to this, Shamshahbad was only 15 km away, and, therefore, the land here should get a better price. It was unjust on the part of the Government to propose compensation in terms of acres to farmers at Shamshahbad while selling the same to private entrepreneurs, proposing to develop software park and the like in the upcoming airport area, in terms of square yards through the Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation. The farmers were offered a meagre sum of Rs. 30,000 to Rs. 40,000 per acre, he said.

Mr. Narendra Reddy issued a statement later in which he said, many of the affected farmers in Shamshahbad area have rich commercial crops while others took up paddy, poultry sheds and other commercial ventures. The acquisition, he said, would shatter their economies, if implemented with low compensation. To justify the claim for higher compensation, he said, real estate dealers in Shamshahbad area were selling plots charging Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 3,000 per square yard. Among the losers were the families which, in fact, were rehabilitated at Chinnagollapalli years ago when they lost their lands under Himayatsagar reservoir.

Under the circumstances, Mr. Reddy sought alternative lands at places near the city if the Government was not able to pay the compensation at the market rate.

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