Date:19/04/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/04/19/stories/2005041907540400.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Take care of oustees first: CPI(M)

Special Correspondent

State Government urged to draw a comprehensive rehabilitation policy

HYDERABAD: The CPI(M) has urged the Government to set up a committee of experts, representatives of political parties and farmers' bodies to evolve a comprehensive rehabilitation and resettlement policy for the oustees of the 26 irrigation projects in the State.

Addressing a press conference here on Monday, the CPI(M) Polit Bureau member, B. V. Raghavulu, said some three lakh acres needed to be acquired by the Government for all projects and about 56,000 acres had already been acquired.

However, compensation was yet to be paid to the displaced people.

Lathicharge condemned

Criticising the police firing and the lathicharge on displaced farmers, who were staging a "peaceful" sit-in near Thotapalli barrage, he demanded that the Government immediately pay the compensation to the ryots and withdraw "false cases" booked against CPI(M) leaders and some 2,000 farmers.

Describing the statement of the Chief Minister, Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy, that CPI(M) had provoked the farmers as "unfortunate," he said Dr. Reddy had spoken without knowing the facts.

He took exception to the statement of Major Industries Minister, Botsa Satyanarayana, and said it was not proper to blame the political parties.

`Reasonable demand'

Asserting that the displaced people have the right to demand payment of compensation before commencement of the project, he questioned how the Government could deny this to farmers while paying mobilisation advance to contractors.

The farmers were demanding an agreement beforehand because the Governments had cheated them in the past.

It was not for Thotapalli alone, the Government would have to adopt the same policy for all projects, including Shamshabad international airport and export economic zone.

He warned that the CPI(M) would launch a Statewide agitation if the Government failed to pay compensation to the oustees of various projects and adopted suppressive measures.