Dalits of sleepy Namburivaripalem village in Addanki mandal were jointly cultivating a variety of crops, including paddy, in 14.35 acres for over six decades by the side of village water tank before it was dug up.
They were caught unawares when on the night of August 20, 2015 earth-movers of the contractor concerned started deepening first the water tank before taking it up in their land too under the TDP government’s Neeru Chettu programme, as decided by the local Janmabhoomi Committee.
“We welcomed the water conservation work initially thinking that we will get assured water if the adjoining water tank is deepened. But the earth removal work was first extended to an acre of the land adjoining the water tank before the entire area was dug up,” sobbingly recalled Madhumala Ramanamma in a conversation with The Hindu.
Staring at the bone dry water tank, another farmer Katta Srinivasa Rao said the piece of land once in their possession was fertile one and enjoyed by 54 Dalit families which held 25 cents each.
Till 2000 they had been growing paddy, but with reduction in rainfall later, they were forced to switch over to crops like Bengal gram, cotton and tobacco, added another farmer Bathula Raja Rao.
Showing the patta issued by the State government in 1993, another displaced farmer Katta Srinivasa Rao said, “The revenue officials have demarcated and subdivided the kunta land measuring 5.90 acres and our land measuring 14.35 acres. We are perplexed how water conservation work has been taken up in our land too,” lamented Bathula Devamma.
Struggle panel
A land struggle committee was formed on Thursday by the displaced families under the aegis of the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers Union (APAWU) to wage a relentless struggle for justice. Communist Party of India (Marxist) State secretary P.Madhu, who visited the village, set a deadline of March-end for the State government to give back possession of the land after refilling it.
“If the government fails to do so, the party will mobilise Dalits in a big way from across the Addanki Assembly constituency and reclaim the land in question on behalf of the displaced farmers,” he told the displaced Dalits who poured out their woes. CPI(M) East Prakasam unit secretary P.Anjaneyulu said the party’s stir in support of the displaced Dalits in Devarapalli, whose land had been taken up for construction of a water tank, had paid dividends with the government returning their land.
“The party will stand by the aggrieved Dalits in Namburivaripalem too,” said APAWU district secretary Kankanala Anjaneyulu.