Telangana reels under bandh protesting dam in KCR's backyard

The resistance against the proposed Mallanna Sagar reservoir in Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s home district Medak took an ugly turn when police resorted to lathi charge and firing into the air on Sunday. 

 

Scores of farmers, including children, sustained injuries. Protesting the highhandedness of the police, the opposition parties - Congress, TDP, BJP and the Left - called for a district bandh on Monday. It is ironic that the epicentre of the movement lies just a few kilometres from the chief minister KCR’s famous farmhouse. 

All buses went off the roads in Medak district because of the bandh call given by political parties in the state. Meanwhile, Prof Kodandaram has been arrested along with his team when he was going to meet the victims of yesterday's lathi charges.  He was stopped at Ontimamidi villages along with Pittal Ravinder and Gurijala Ravinder Rao of the JAC.

 

The trouble in KCR’s backyard began on Sunday when the villagers from Vemulaghat were planning to stage a blockade on the National Highway ’Rajiv Rahadari’  to protest against the project and the government’s plan to evacuate them from their villages and farms.

 

While the people were marching to Pragnapur Chowrasta, the police in hundreds reached the venue of the blockade to prevent them from staging the sit-in on the highway.

 

As the villagers refused to call off their programme, the police resorted to lathi charge to disperse them. About 30 people including women sustained injuries.

 

As the news of police action spread across the other villages facing the same fate under the project, farmers of Erravalli village started marching to Rajiv Rahadari in support. The police’s obstruction of the march led to the second altercation. Women in the procession even threatened with self-immolation if they were stopped.

 

The altercation finally led to the pelting of stones by the villagers and the police lathi-charge. The opposition to the project was so fierce that the villagers refused to budge; police fired several rounds in the air.

On Monday morning, the area looked like a battlefield. A Congress delegation comprising former deputy chief minister Damodara Rajanarasimha, chief spokesperson Dr Sravan Dasoju, former minister Sunitha Lakshma Reddy have already arrived in the town. TDP leader Revanth Reddy, BJP state president Lakshman and many more leaders are expected.

 

Mallanna Sagar reservoir is planned with an impounding capacity of 50 TMC. At first, the government proposed land-pooling. 

 

When the farmers opposed the land-pooling, taking a cue from the  Amaravati experience in Andhra Pradesh, the government agreed to pay compensation as per the Land Acquisition Act 2013.  

 

However, the theme of the movement changed altogether when experts raised voices against the project itself. They stated that there was no need for the project. Following this, the farmers started opposing the project totally, and this caused discomfiture in the ruling establishment. 

 

While chief minister KCR’s government too it a challenge to ground the project as it hopes to transform the irrigation of the VIP district, all opposition parties stood by the villagers opposing the project. 

 

Not confident of facing the uncertain future if in fact, the government resolved to build the project, farmers even started committing suicide. So far three farmers have killed themselves.

 

Congress, which is the principal opposition party, late Sunday night decided to support the district bandh. The party also planned a march from Gajwel to the Pallepahad in solidarity with the farmers.

The party held an emergency meeting last night with all senior leaders and resolved to stand by the farmers. On the other side, CPI and TDP and BJP have also called for a bandh on Monday.  Telangana Joint Action Committee president Prof Kodandaram also condemned the police high-handedness and extended support to the bandh.

 

“Protest, a democratic right, is being seen by the chief minister KCR and TRS government as a personal assault. A dictatorial regime is sought to be established in Telangana where dissent is portrayed as the anti-Telangana. The police brutality on small and marginal farmers of CM’s own constituency bears testimony to the KCR’s intolerance and attitude towards the poor farmers,” said Congress chief spokesperson Sravan Dasoju. 

 

While calling for a bandh against the transferring of seven mandals from Telangana to Andhra Pradesh in 2014, KCR urged the people that it would be the last bandh in Telangana state.  But, things have not changed much. The entire state has been witnessing bandhs and rasta rokos as routinely as it was the case in the united Andhra Pradesh.