Date:26/06/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/06/26/stories/2007062659620500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Thumadu dalits retrieve land from farmers

Special Correspondent

Dalit families have been cultivating the land for the last 20 years

ONGOLE: Dalits of Thumadu village led by CPI(M) activists retrieved 28 acres of their land from farmers, tilled and sowed crops on Monday. Dalits took to the extreme step as officials did not keep their promise to persuade the farmers leave the land to them.

About 70 dalit families have been cultivating the land belonging to Endowments for the last 20 years paying nominal lease of Rs. 670 per acre. Scheduled Castes Cooperative Society used to pay the lease on their behalf. But as there was some delay in making the payment three years ago, Endowments Department cancelled their lease and put the lease for auction.

Farmers, who had been waiting for opportunity to take away the land, gave tough competition to Dalits in the auction.

While farmers quoted Rs. 1 lakh, dalits pushed up the price to Rs. 2 lakhs in their determination to hold the land at any cost. But there was again some delay on the part of SC Corporation to collect the lease amount from members and pay to the Endowments Department. So the latter cancelled it and called for fresh auction in which farmers offered Rs. 1.48 lakhs and got the lease for three years in 2005. Farmers raised crops in June 2005. Following an agitation by dalits for one year, the then District Collector, B Udaya Lakshmi, and Kondepi MLA Pothula Rama Rao intervened and held talks with farmers. As the farmers had already sown their crops in June 2006, they assured the dalits that they would give away the land by June 2007. An agreement was then reached between dalits and farmers to this effect.

But farmers allegedly violated the agreement, moved the court and got stay in their favour. As the officials did not make any efforts to implement the agreement, the enraged dalits went and occupied their land under the leadership of CPI(M) district secretary N Ranga Rao and Kula Vivaksha Porata Samithi leader, A Malyadri.