On 11 November, villagers from Dudyal, Langicherla, and nearby areas boycotted a government hearing on land acquisition, protesting in Langicherla. Despite attempts by the Collector to negotiate, tensions escalated, with protesters intimidating him
Published Nov 13, 2024 | 6:02 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 13, 2024 | 6:02 PM
Land acquisition for Telangana pharma village project is spelling trouble in Vikarabad
“The land and food we eat have no party. If this pharma hub comes up, we’ll all be affected. We all don’t just mean Jangicherla and the villages around it, it means everyone who eats rice grown in our village,” Dasrath Reddy, a 65-year-old farmer said.
“With things as they are, we’re supposed to talk to the government, not attack them. What happened yesterday was truly unfortunate. The mistakes of some misguided youngsters are putting the futures of all our villages at stake,” he continued.
Dasrath Reddy is referring to the Pharma Village saga in Telangana. Ever since January this year, the project has been shrouded in mystery. However, with land acquisitions underway, there is a new set of challenges obstructing the ambitious 10-village project.
On Monday, 11 November, a protest escalated into riot-like situation when Vikarabad Collector Prateek Jain, Additional Collector Lingya Naik, and Kodangal Area Development Authority (KADA) chairman Venkat Reddy tried to negotiate with the protestors.
On Monday, the government set up a public hearing at an open space in Akkimpet to gather public opinion regarding the land acquisition. However, villagers from Dudyal, Langicherla, RB Tanda, and other such villages chose to boycott the hearing.
They staged a sit-in protest at Langicherla. A Langicherla villager went to the hearing, pleading with the Collector to negotiate with the protestors. Heeding the villager’s request, the Collector went to Langicherla along with the MRO, and KADA Special Officer. They were without police protection.
#Telangana: In yet another public protest-turned-riot, the people of Dudyala Mandal attacked #Vikarabad Collector Prateek Jain and Kodangal Area Development Authority Official Venkat Reddy.
Tensions erupted in the village when the administration organised a public hearing at… pic.twitter.com/hFASJmlNHP
— South First (@TheSouthfirst) November 11, 2024
While the Collector tried to reason with the protestors to attend the meeting, the situation quickly deteriorated, escalating into a conflict. As “go back” slogans resounded, the villagers began to intimidate the Collector.
As the crowd began pushing back, the Collector and accompanying government officials decided to leave. However, tensions had reached a tipping point by then, leading to a protestor brandishing a stick at the officials.
Lingya Naik was hurt in the process. However, the officials soon boarded their cars and left. Yet, some protestors flung stones at the vehicles, damaging the windows.
Despite the fiasco, when Collector Jain reached the Vikarabad district headquarters, he didn’t blame the protestors.
The collector said the incident was not an attack. “They called us to talk and we went to talk. Some fellows were there who started conspiring. They are our people our farmers, don’t use the word ‘attack’. Investigation will be done,” he said on X.
‘I wasn’t there when the ordeal took place,” a 60-year-old farmer at Langicheral claimed. “However, I know what happened,” he continued.
“I have no land in this area that I’d probably lose to the pharma project, but I’m also better off. The majority of the villagers you’ll find here are from the Lambadi, an ST, community. The lands they want to acquire are their lifelines,” he informed.
Adding that a majority of the protestors hailed from nearby villages like Dudyal, RB Tanda, and Pulicherlakunta, he lamented the police detainments.
“Last night, after the scuffle, the police showed up around midnight and detained numerous villagers. The actual culprits got away while those who had nothing to do with the incident were deemed the perpetrators,” he loathed.
Ravi is a youngster pursuing his degree in Mahboobnagar. “My parents are farmers, that’s how they run the house. If and when the pharma hub comes up, we’ll lose our lands. We’ll get compensation for the land, but what will replace our livelihoods?” he asked.
Ravi was not the only one with these concerns. “We don’t know anything. We don’t know which company is coming in or when. It’s not even clear where it will come up or how much they’ll compensate us with,” another 40-year-old paddy farmer opined.
He noted that this unclarity was scaring the people and building a sense of hostility towards the government.
Similarly, in RB Tanda, Varahi (name changed) is a farm labourer who once worked in a pharma unit in Jadcherla, some three hours away.
“I worked in a pharma company before. I know the kinds of effects it has on an individual’s health. It caused problems in my digestive system that affect me to this day even after a couple of years.,” he explained.
“It makes sense for us to give the government this land to do something for us or everyone. The government here is just selling it to private players at the cost of our lives and livelihoods,” he lamented.
“The government promised jobs to us if the pharma hub is established in this region,” Dasrath Reddy from Jangicherla informed.
“However, they seem to be forgetting that the youth here are not well-educated. Even the jobs they’ll give us are those of cleaners or guards,” he opined. He added that all the beneficial jobs will go to those outside the region.
Dasrath Reddy is a paddy farmer from Langicherla
While the police were not present during the incident, they arrived at Langicherla at about 1:30 am on 12 November.
“They knocked at my door in the middle of the night and asked for my name. They then proceeded to beat me up,” Mangala Ram, a barber in Langicherla informed.
Speaking to South First, he detailed that he wasn’t alone. “They detained numerous people along the street at night. They only started letting us off in the morning. They took me in even though I wasn’t there,” he reported.
He further showed the bruises from the police lathis. “They came in about nine cars and a bus,” he further recalled.
The police have started an investigation into the attack. They chose to evaluate photographic evidence to identify the perpetrators. The detained about 57 individuals from the villages at about 2 am on 12 November. However, the police reported holding only 16 in remand as the accused for further investigation.
Additionally, the police resorted to restricting internet in area surrounding Langacherla and Dudyal on 12 November.
On 13 November, the Vikarabad police also arrested former Kodangal MLA Putnam Narender Reddy from the BRS for alleged involvement in the case. He was arrested while on a morning walk near his Film Nagar residence in Hyderabad.
The police have found links of local BRS youth leader Suresh from Langicherla calling up the former MLA post the conflict. Responding to the arrest, KTR asked if it was a crime for two community leaders to communicate in such situations.
In 2018, the then-chief minister K Chandrashekar Rao announced the Pharma City Project, aiming to make it a national pharma hub. Set to come around the outskirts of Hyderabad, KCR announced that they had the necessary permits to commence the project in 2022.
However, in December 2023, the Congress won the Telangana polls, shrouding the project’s continuation in suspense. Yet, in January 2023 incumbent Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy announced that the Pharma City project was on track to completion.
Subsequently, in February, IT and Industries Minister D Sridhar Babu announced that they were scrapping the Pharma City Project. Noting that they would reformulate the plan to benefit the public, he reported that the government is developing a pharma village project.
He informed the media that the Telangana government was planning to set up 10 pharma hubs statewide. Apart from the Green City Pharma Project, he announced three hubs each for Vikarabad, Nalgonda, and Medak districts.
However, in September appearing in the Telangana High Court regarding petitions related to the earlier Pharma City project, the state informed the court the project was intact. This contradiction drew much criticism from the BRS, who expressed confusion regarding the project’s status, demanding clarity.
Subsequently, KTR alleged that the Congress scrapped the Pharma City project as part of a land scam. The Opposition raised these allegations following the government’s stance in the Telangana High Court regarding the Pharma City project where they didn’t inform the courts about its ‘scrapping’.
However, despite the obscurity surrounding the project, the land acquisitions has begun in Vikarabad. In August, an elderly woman attempted suicide by trying to drink pesticides in front of the MRO’s office to protest against the land acquisition.
Similarly, on 25 October, people in the Vikarabad district took to the streets to protest against the land acquisitions. The protest turned violent as the protestors almost attacked the local leader who showed disdain for their concerns.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
