A sudden commotion started in this village on July 5, when there began a talk of land survey that will be conducted and a tom-tom on July 7 further aggravated the situation with the information that the lands would be identified next day.
On the D-Day officials came and began survey erecting red flags in fields of farmers, which created commotion in the village.
Pochamian Budevva’s situation was the worst with her son Srihari dying 15 years ago and daughter-in-law leaving for her parents’ house to never return. The 58-year-old Budevva took the responsibility of her grandchildren Vishnu Deepika and Vamshi, when they were four years and two and half-years-old. Now Deepika has completed her graduation and Vamshi is in first year intermediate.
All the 18 guntas land she has along with a bore-well was to be acquired for the Kaleshwaram canal leading to to Konapur tank, the native village of Deputy Speaker M. Padma Devender Reddy. Budevva has another seven guntas of land at another place, but without a bore-well.
She was worried since the day she came to know about the likelyhood of losing land, she was tensed and rushed to her farm in a hurry. Even before reaching the farm and having the last look of her farm, she collapsed with cardiac arrest. She was declared brought dead by the doctors when she was taken to hospital at Ramayampet.
Surprisingly, the villagers did not file any complaint with the police. “Actually we did think of taking the body and holding a protest at Ramayampet. But we were asked by some politicians not to make an issue out of the incident with a promise to address the problem of the two children. Hence we did not file any complaint,” said some of the villagers on condition of anonymity.
They also questioned the failure of the authorities to conduct a grama sabha and inform about the requirement of land for the project to the farmers. They were also not informed about the compensation that was to be paid to them.
“We wish the government comes to the rescue of the children and offer them some relief,” said P. Kumara Swamy, relative of Budevva.