Scores of Congress leaders and party workers from Telangana were today taken into preventive custody near Gandhi Bhavan here ahead of their "Chalo Mallannasagar" programme protesting land acquisition for an irrigation project.
Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee had given "Chalo Mallannasagar" call to protest lathi-charge on the project oustees on Sunday and express solidarity with the farmers agitating against land acquisition.
Opposing construction of the Mallannasagar project in Medak district, Congress launched the stir demanding adequate compensation for farmers and also questioned the rational behind the government acquiring such a large portion of land.
"Several Congress leaders and workers were taken into preventive custody as police foiled their plans to undertake Chalo Mallannasagar programme," Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone), V B Kamalasan Reddy, told PTI.
Speaking to reporters, former Union Minister and senior Congress leader S Jaipal Reddy said his party would strongly oppose the "manner" in which the government was going ahead with the project.
"We were planning to visit the project site to explain certain issues to people. First of all there is no transparency in the project design. It does not require so much of land and also it is not clear under which Act or section the land would be acquired. There are other aspects such as environmental clearances and protection also," Reddy said.
He alleged that it was the government's "unilateral decision" to go ahead with the project, which cannot be done in a democracy.
The state government led by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has proposed to construct Mallannasagar irrigation project at Yetigadda Kishtapur village of Medak, for which it is in the process of acquiring 12,000 acres of land.
Around 14 villages are feared to go under water due to
the project, estimated to be constructed at a cost of Rs 9,800 crore. Once completed, it would irrigate 12 lakh acres of land in Medak, Nizamabad, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy districts.
On the allegations of Opposition, the TRS government had accused it of trying to stall land acquisition process, thereby delaying construction of Mallannasagar and other irrigation projects.
On demands that the oustees be paid compensation as per the provisions of Land Acquisition Act-2013, Telangana Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said the government has already agreed to this demand and not a single acre will be taken by force from farmers.
The villagers and farmers have been holding protests for the past many days demanding to stop the Mallanasagar reservoir works immediately and increase the compensation for land being acquired for the project.
Telangana JAC chairman M Kodandaram had earlier said that the state government was keen to go ahead with the Mallannasagar project despite villagers facing submergence and not willing to part with their lands.
