Residents of Vemulaghat have decided to approach court once again following failure of their talks with Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, thus creating history again on July 23. The villagers have come to a conclusion that their demand for right compensation for the lands being acquired by the Government for Mallannasagar Reservoir would not be addressed by those ruling the State. The residents of Vemulaghat in Toguta mandal of Siddipet district on Sunday continued their protest on 414th day as usual with Y. Karankar Reddy, G. Nagaraju, N. Satyam Reddy, D. Yadanna, A. Papaiah, P. Shankaraiah and Md. Yakub participating in it in the recently-constructed permanent shed. “Our villagers have been demanding that we should meet the Chief Minister and explain our problems so that they will be addressed by the Government. But, the meeting held on Saturday at the farm house of the Chief Minister cleared all our illusions and showed the only path available for us,” said a villager on condition of anonymity, adding that they need to contact some legal experts in this regard.
The Chief Minister’s invitation to the farmers of Vemulaghat and Etigaddakishtapur was being seen as a failed attempt to pre-empt the move of the Telangana Joint Action Committee’s (TJAC) proposed visit to the villages that would get submerged under Kondapochamma and Vemualghat village under Mallannasagar.
The TJAC has planned the visit of M. Kodandaram to these villages and interaction with land oustees on July 30. Prof. Kodandaram and advocate B. Rachana Reddy were arrested by the police recently when they visited Bailampur village in Mulugu mandal which would be submerged by Kondapochamma reservoir stating that Section 30 of Police Act was in force. Section 30 is being imposed in the district every month with a notification being issued by Commissioner of Police, Siddipet.
“One has to wait and see whether the Government would accord permission for the visit of Prof. Kodandaram. The land oustees are presently pinning hopes on the TJAC that it would come to their rescue,” said another villager.