People's Democracy

ANDHRA PRADESH

Thotapalli Struggle Continues Amidst Police Repression

Struggle Spreads To Other Projects

                                                          M Venugopala Rao

THE CPI(M)-led struggle of the people displaced under the Thotapalli project for adequate compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement has been continuing amidst persistent repression by the police.  The CPI(M) and other Left parties  observed indefinite hunger strike in front of the Vijayanagaram district collectorate for four days from May 9, demanding solution to their problem.  With no response coming from the state government, the Left parties gave a call for laying siege to the collectorate on May 13.  However, with a view to foiling this move, the police resorted to indiscriminate arrests of the leaders and workers of the CPI(M) and other Left parties from the night of May 12 onwards. M Krishna Murthy, secretary of the district committee of the CPI(M), was arrested near his residence.   Notwithstanding these arrests, the displaced people and leaders and workers of the Left and mass organisations took out a rally, led by the CPI(M) MLA, K Lakshmana Murthy, to lay siege to the collectorate.  The police arrested them on the way. Apart from Lakshmana Murthy, the CPI district secretary, P Kameswara Rao, and other leaders P Prasad (IFTU), P Easwara Rao (Rythu Coolie Sangham), M Uma Maheswari (AIDWA) were among those arrested. The police also arrested several leaders and workers who were coming to the collectorate from different areas in the district. President of the district rythu sangham B Rambabu, district president of the CITU T Suryanarayana and the secretary of Parvathipuram division committee of the CPI(M),  Reddy Sriramamurthy,  were among the arrested. At Parvathipuram, the police arrested 87 people, including 26 women. They were later released on bail.

Earlier, a delegation of Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers’ Union led by its president K Krishna Murthy,  vice president R Kuppanaidu and secretary P Murali Krishna visited the villages coming under submersion under the Thotapalli project.  Later, they submitted a memorandum to the chief minister, Dr Y S Rajasekhara Reddy, explaining the conditions they observed and putting forth the demands of the displaced people.  Criticising the police for foisting false cases on the affected people, workers and leaders of the political parties and mass organisations and putting them behind the bars, the delegation requested the chief minister to withdraw the false cases and pay special attention to the problems of the displaced people. They pointed out that no survey was taken up to rehabilitate the agricultural workers affected under the project. Explaining the inadequacy of the relief measures announced by the government, they demanded payment of 100 per cent additional compensation, in addition to market price, to the lands being submerged under the project.  They demanded the government to provide land to the extent of 2 acres each to the affected families and 3 acres each to those of the scheduled castes and scheduled tribes, and to pay wages adequate for 1500 mandays for two years to the families of the agricultural workers and provide antyodaya ration cards to the displaced families of the agricultural workers.

Addressing the media at Vijayanagaram, the chief minister expressed his helplessness to increase compensation to the people affected under the Thotapalli project.  He said that fixing compensation was a quasi judicial process and that  it was decided to pay 15 per cent additional compensation.  If it was not satisfactory, the affected people might approach a court of law, the CM commented.

LATHICHARGE ON POLAVARAM FARMERS  

The police resorted to lathicharge on the farmers affected under the proposed right canal of the Polavaram project when they demanded the officers concerned to stop bhoomi pooja (ceremonial beginning of work) till the design of the Polavaram canal was changed and compensation paid to them.  Affected farmers have been agitating under the leadership of A P Rythu Sangham on these issues. Affected farmers from nine villages reached Pathapadu village where the bhoomi pooja was being performed for taking up the works of the canal.  When the police tried to arrest Y Kesava Rao, secretary of Krishna  district unit of the Rythu Sangham and Kankipadu division secretary M Haribabu, the farmers obstructed them.  The police resorted to lathicharge and arrested the leaders. When V Umamaheswara Rao, secretary of Krishna district committee of the CPI(M), along with local farmers,  reached there and started raising slogans against the officers performing bhoomi pooja, the police tried to disperse them.  When some farmers pelted stones, the officers left the place. The farmers warned the officers that they would not allow the works to be taken up till their demands were met.  When Umamaheswara Rao reached the office of the commissioner of police to get the arrested leaders released, the police arrested him.  They were remanded to custody till May 18, but were released on bail.

Protesting against the arrests, a dharna was held at the office of the  sub-collector in Vijayawada.  Addressing the dharna, Y Venkateswara Rao, member of the state secretariat of the CPI(M), wanted the government to announce a package to pay compensation to the farmers being displaced under various irrigation projects in the state.  He questioned the propriety of the undue haste with which bhoomi pooja was performed, when the district collector had given an assurance that a report would be sent to the government changing the design of the right canal of Polavaram project. He made it clear that the farmers would not keep quiet if they were told that compensation would be paid after 10 years of starting the works.  There were instances when farmers, who had lost their lands under the Srisailam project, committed suicides, as they could not get compensation for a long period, Venkateswara Rao said.  Pointing out that it would not be proper on the part of the police to keep leaders of the CPI(M) under detention and search for farmers in the villages, Venkateswara Rao demanded the government to announce a package of compensation to the affected farmers.

B Tulasidas and S Mallareddy, president and secretary of A P Rythu Sangham condemned the arrests and demanded the government to examine and solve the just demands of the farmers. Choudary Tejeswara Rao, secretary of Srikakulam district committee of the CPI(M) and Tulasidas visited several villages getting submerged under the proposed Polavaram project, elicited views of the affected people and explained the approach of the government.  They demanded the government to implement package of rehabilitation and resettlement for the affected people within 90 days whenever works of any project was taken up. They asked the displaced people to agitate unitedly for getting the judgement of the Supreme Court and the laws concerned relating to payment of compensation to them and their rehabilitation and resettlement.