Farmers from three villages in Siddipet district will finally get a compensation of ₹13 lakh an acre for the land being acquired by the State Government to dig canals from the river Godavari to Mallannasagar reservoir, which is part of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) in Siddipet district.
According to sources, the State Government had acquired 292 acres from Tukkapur, Ghanapur and Bandarupally villages in Toguta mandal of Siddipet district and paid them ₹8 lakh an acre. The farmers, however, termed it insufficient and had been waging a legal battle for a higher compensation in the past two years, during which they had also stalled the canal construction several times.
The issue was finally brought to the notice of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who reportedly agreed to pay the sum as demanded by the farmers, and this was communicated to the court within the State land acquisition authority.
The additional amount of ₹5 lakh an acre was deposited with the authority. Subsequently, farmers of Tukkapur and Ghanapur on Monday consented to surrender their land to the government, and farmers of Bandarupally gave their consent on Tuesday. As for farmers of Yellareddypet, sources said they would give their consent once the amount is deposited with the authority.
“Land registration rates were revised recently by the government, and it varies between ₹2.85 lakh and ₹5.85 lakh an acre in Toguta mandal depending on location. The compensation has been calculated and fixed accordingly,” Lok Sabha member K. Prabhakar Reddy told The Hindu. He added that they had ensured payment for the structures on the land and that a consensus had been arrived at with the farmers that ₹13 lakh an acre would be paid. While making the final payment, the amount already paid to the farmers would be deducted.
Three more villages
Farmers of three more villages—Tadakapally, Chinnagundavelli and Ensanpally—were yet to give consent, but preliminary discussion on the proposed payment had been held with them, sources said.
