Date:04/02/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/02/04/stories/2005020406670400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Poor occupy Government land

By Our Correspondent

VIZIANAGARAM, FEB. 3. The landless poor, led by the Communist Party of India (Marxist), occupied about 200 acres of land and erected red flags on Wednesday.

The poor, belonging to Gurla, G. Tammirajupeta and Vanija villages in Mentada mandal, cleared the land of bushes and levelled it on their own. The lands, reportedly belonging to Bhimavarapu Krishna Murty, Chokkapu Sanyasi Naidu and others, were taken over by the Government long ago under the Land Ceiling Act.

The CPI(M) has been asking the administration to distribute the land among the 150 landless poor in the said villages for the past six months. Even on January 26 when land pattas were distributed to over 6,000 landless poor their plea for the land distribution was not taken into consideration, said the CPI(M) secretariat member, Marrapu Suryanarayana, and the area secretary of Vyvasaya Karmika Sangam, R. Ramulu.

Mr. Suryanarayana alleged that the administration was insincere in the distribution of surplus land and recalled that a landlord of Tammirajupeta had in the past surrendered his land to the Government for distribution, but the administration did not act so far. He said the party had identified 1500 acres of land in Mentada mandal and demanded pattas and title deeds for the poor.

Pattas demanded

He said at Konisa village in Gajapathinagram mandal the poor had occupied 30 acres of land.

Mr. Ramulu said that 80 tribal families of Panukuvanivalasa, Sidagamvalasa, Sangam Guddivalasa, Rayavalasa and Kindagudem had occupied 60 acres of land and were cultivating it for the last 15 years, but they were not given pattas.

He said that individual representations would be submitted to district Collector and Mandal Revenue Officer for developing the land under `Indira Prabha' programme.