Citizens’ Research Collective on SEZ

Hyderbad, May 28, 2008: Giving a clarion call to the Jadcherla voters to defeat the forces inimical to the welfare of farmers, the Polepally SEZ victims said they were forced to knock the people’s door since their pleas against the SEZ have fallen on the deaf ears of the government and leader of all the political parties.

Stating that they were cheated by the governments, the 13 victims under the banner of Polepally SEZ Vyathireka Ikya Sanghatana said they were contesting the Jadcherla bypolls on May 29 to send across a strong message to the powers-that-be that they were ready to sacrifice their lives to get back their lands taken away by the officials in the name of SEZ.

Kanduri Kurmaiah, one of the contestants and whose land was taken away for the SEZ, told newsmen here on Tuesday that his six acres of land was usurped by the government which later sold it to a pharma company for a fortune. “I was paid a paltry Rs 18,000 per acre. When we raised the issue, our voices were muzzled, threatened and false cases foisted against us,” he said.

“It is in this backdrop that we have decided to contest the polls,” he said and urged the voters to teach a lesson to the parties and governments which make business by selling farmers’ lands. Demanding that the government give back the lands to the poor farmers, Kurmaiah said the atrocities against the villagers must stop and the SEZ project should be scrapped.

Convenor of the sanghatana Kagula Madhu assailed the government for acquiring around 1,000 acres of fertile land belonging to dalits, tribals and BC farmers in the name of developing a mega green park. “Later, the project was converted into a pharma SEZ. The government, especially APIIC, is acting like a real estate broker for big companies by usurping lands from poor farmers at cheap rates and selling them to big business houses,” he said.

Joining the issue, Useni Satyamma, a contestant in the bypoll, said the officials took away her eight acres of land. “The SEZ Act has proved a deathknell for many of us and our lives have been destroyed,” she regretted.

Urging the people to put an end to this daylight robbery of poor farmers, the SEZ victims said they should exercise their conscience vote by rejecting the parties which have vested interests.

Source: Times of India