Ground is being prepared to launch second major land-pooling exercise in Krishna district around Machilipatnam. At the same time tension is building up in the villages going to be affected by the land-pooling indicating a future battle between the government and the farmers, on the lines of the one waged by river-front villages in the Amaravati Area.
After Amaravati, where state government had pooled about 33,000 acres from farmers for capital construction, Machilipatnam Port development is going to be next major exercise for Andhra Pradesh government.
For the development of deep-sea port and an industrial corridor Chief minister Chandrababu Naidu’s government is all set to announce the land-pooling time table in a fortnight. There is a plan to collect about 30,000 acres from the people for the port and industries. Already, deputy collectors have been posted. A land pooling policy for the project is said to be in the final stages and it is likely to announced by the end of May.
Despite the opposition from the people, the state is going ahead with implementation of the development of the project. Because, acquiring lands from the people , who are hostile to give up their lands, by invoking land acquisition act is not possible. Because, anybody can challenge the process, and the quantum of compensation. Apart from this before land acquisition, government has to take up social impact assessment and has to conduct public hearings. If one resorts to land-pooling government can coerce the farmers to give up their lands. Unknown elements burn the crops of the farmers resisting the ‘voluntary’ pooling. All extra constitutional measures can be employed.
Government is in a hurry to collect the land and give it to the corporates. But people are opposed to part with their lands as the government is collecting lands not for public sector use but to offer them to corporate companies. Sometime back the region witnessed fierce resistance from the people. National highway was blocked. Police resorted to cane charge and opposition leader Jagan visited, and finally the process was put on hold.
In the meantime, having the seen the plight of the farmers, who offered ‘voluntarily’ their land to Amaravati, Machilipatnam farmers are opposing the entry of revenue officials into their villages. Because, the amount received by small and marginal farmers in Amaravati area is peanuts and the residential/ commercial plot being offered by the government is not of any use in near future. Now, in capital region, the villagers are being uprooted from their villages by the proposed express ways.The experience has made the farmers stubborn in resisting the land-pooling process at Machilipatnam.
On the other side, the state government has created Machilipatnam area development authority (MADA) and the office is likely to be set up at Machilipatnam soon. Setting up of the office is expected provoke the farmer to stage demonstrations against the land-pooling.