Farmers are protesting against land acquisition for the proposed Indosol Solar Power project in Ulavapadu, Nellore district. Farmers have taken to the streets as the government is forcibly acquiring land for this project. They have said that they will give their lives but there is no point in giving them green crop lands.
Farmers from Karedu village in Ulavapadu mandal on Sunday staged a sit-in on the Kolkata- Chennai national highway and protested against the land acquisition and the solar project. Thousands of farmers participated in this agitation, ignoring police restrictions and threats. Leaders of the CPM, AAP, Congress, VCY and BCY parties supported the farmers’ movement.
The police stepped in after it was learned that farmers had been protesting against this project since Saturday. Dozens of farmers and leaders of various organizations were arrested in advance. Restrictions were imposed at every step. They warned that no agitations were allowed on the national highway.
Barricades were set up around Karedu village and a large number of forces were deployed. Overcoming the police restrictions, the food workers reached the national highway and took up the agitation. Women from Karedu and surrounding villages gathered in large numbers. Tension prevailed there when the police resorted to stop them.
Vehicles were stopped in large numbers due to the farmers’ agitation. The police, citing the inconvenience to passengers, forced the farmers to immediately clear the road. A scuffle broke out between the leaders of the farmers’ associations and the police. However, the government machinery came down as the farmers continued their agitation.
Sub-Collector Sripooja reached there and spoke to the agitators. She asked the farmers to call off the agitation and that they would get justice. The farmers said that they could not give their green fields and lands, and that if they wanted those lands, they would have to go over their dead bodies. They demanded that the notification issued by the government allotting 8348 acres of land for the Indosol Solar project be cancelled.