SEZs. Horrible, inhuman, mad development zones one can ever imagine. I dont know how many of us aware of these so called SPECIAL ECONOMIC ZONES as it translates into reality on the ground. I don?t know the theory part of this madness. Andhra Pradesh stands second in the country to accommodate SEZs. Land is grabbed from the poor for by none other than Govt itself. It behaves like a blood hungry monster. Government operates through several agents who are like paalegallu of factionists or mercenaries of capitalists and transforms into a mafia etc. For Telangana region its like 'moolige nakka paina taati pandu padinattu', okavaipu abhivrudhi manthralu japisthoo maro vaipu prajalanu bichagaallagaa maarche pathakaalu..adige vaaru evaru leru, becasue its SEZ era!! Abhivrudi perutho attadugu vargala varipai vetu. I have been regularly meeting Polepalli villagers, who are fighting against pharma SEZ. Polepalli is right there in Jadcherla, not so far away from the HI TECH Shamshabad Airport. My childhood memories of going out of city is to see more greenery, houses and people and the tales of their lives. But now if we go to any national highway, we only have roads. Roads, and ROADS and ROADS and WIDER ROADS. Don?t know where they lead to? Wider and newer and more luxurious and adding more lanes as it becomes fatter. Destroying village life, culture, taking away their food, spreading pollution and killing the identities of people and cultures. Tale of Mahbubnagar is one saga. Mahbubnagar has to be sacrificial goat and has to suffer many poisonous evil designs of the witchcraft that money hungry thought system now spins off to make devour areas adjoining the monstrous Hyderabad. Thinking of asking what sin Mahbubnagar committed? Hyderabad pakkane undi inkaa bathiki undaalne??
We heard that 'paalamooru prajalu potta chethapattukuni desalaku poinru', ?raithulu atma hatyalu chesukundru? idi pata mata, ippudu oorla unna koddi mandi kuda, valla bhoomulalla valle bichagaallayi, banisalai e dikkunundi esonti pathakaalu vasthayo telavaka paanaalu arachetilo pettukunru. badaa baabulu, medhaavulu rikaam lekunda upanyaasaalu vollistunnaru. ?buvva bettetollu leru doraa?, cried Kurmaiah, farmer.
Polepalli is now filling page one of the dailies. In brief Polepalli tragedy is 1240 acres of arable land belonging to SC, ST, BCs acquired in 2001 by APIIC when TDP Govt was ruling. Villagers were told a green park was to be developed, that 'its govt order', and 'its for development'. During Congress regime the project started revealing its colors with the enactment of SEZ. Overnight it turned into Arbindo and Hetero drugs project. Drugs considered to dangerous to environment and the people. People started resisting and fighting from years. They approached every political party and requested begged for their support. Nothing much happened. All sorts of repression is let loose. Protesting villagers were beaten and put behind bars. So many jailed. Three villages affect and - Gundlagadda thanda, comletely wiped out.. Polepalli and Mudireddypalli! name sake they are there.
These villages are promised of good houses, better jobs and compensation. And how good the best policies are that these illiterate villagers could not appreciate is another important aspect of the tragedy. Govt rate for land that time was 18,000/- per acre. But many of them did not even receive 5,000/- per acre. ?mettu mettu kaada paisalu madam, maa chetiki emi migalale? says a woman who lost her husband in the fight with SEZ. Forty five farmers died with heart attack leaving children and wives to their fate in a world that is numb to being dead !! Women who are widows and are mothers of starving children and ravaged by the nightmares of what is store continue their struggle for justice. They are going to every place and knocking doors for justice. There is no political party that they have not approached. Just a few people's organisations are with these people. Telangana Ikya Karyacharana Committee Madhu Kagula is relentlessly working along with other villagers. These lands are sold and resold for higher prices , changing hands, right now its Arabindo, and Hetro Drugs, whats tomorrow no one knows.. and anybody else it can go for a higher price. Current price for which Arabindo pharma is selling the lands is mind boggling. It is Rs 41 lakh per acre. Friends it?s a big big BIG business of 50,000 lakhs at the conservative figures and its no surprise that its not just the lands that are sold and resold in SEZs its making politics and policies and theories and political parties into commodities. SEZs is making everything a saleable thing now. Anything is sold now like vegetables. And all voices of conscience become shameless and go silent as SEZ is taking lives of the poor farmers every day
One more startling thing is that Arabindo Pharma decided sometime back to withdraw and gave letter to the district Collector about its intent. But the MLA Laxma Reddy, of TRS party, took all pains and took it as a challenge to bring back that pharma company. Every farmer here has a story to narrate how this MLA went about buying the lands for the pharma company. ?sandulla sandulla tiska poyee santhakaalu pettichukonnadu saaru? told a farmer in pain. ?maaku saduvu raadhu, suttu pakkala sadhuvukunna maaraajulaku, leaderlaku emayindhi saaru? maa bathukulu anyaayam ayipothunte sodhyam soosukunta koosuntunaru endhuku saaru??, asks Senaaiah Goud in vain.
Gram sabha and governance is not there. Overnight you can take anyone's land promising anything. What does TRS do about such representatives who are working as agents of the SEZ and how will people believe anyone else now when our own messiahs are preying on its weaker ones.
Yesterday, VIRASAM organised a sabha in Hyderabad. All those affected people came voiced their problems and pains. ?Maa godu inte edvakunda undaleru evvalaina" told a farmer yesterday. He was beaten in the jai, is paralyzed some time back. And they were chased by the mafias like a pack of wolves running for the taste of blood. They were chased to run away from their own lands. evvalayina sare first SCla kaadiki vastharu. endukante maa dalitulaku e dhikku lekapaaye. Mundhu meme mosapotham. He told that how villages were died(killed?) step by step. around 300 acres was assigned land belonging to the dalits. they explained how many years they slogged and made that fit into a cultivable land to be only whisked away like this in the name of SEZ. Shivli. is a woman who lost 12 acres, mother of five small kids, is waging a lone battle. She didnt receive any money till now. naaku padendlappude bhumi unndani 50 endloniki ichi pendli chesindru. eduguru pillalalla iddaru poinru. Gee santi pillalu unnaru. She was cooking and living in her land under the shade of tamarind tree and fighting to get back the land. Overnight the tree was cut by the land grabbing fellows to push her out from the shade of chinta chettu. maa aayana chavukukooda paisalu lekunda chesinru. (we didn?t have a rupee for the funeral expenses of my husband. They made me a beggar). Who made me a widow to take care of five small kids?
Shivli haunts and disturbs me. What made her life miserable? What?s in store for her? Is her sole sin is to be born in Telangana which is facing a war and people are killed everyday. Our leaders and scholars and intellectuals, who are so far away and silent on this tragedy, need to answer and become part of people who are dying and fighting in our Telangana.
Anjamma, Chukkamma, Rajamma, velugulamma... So many women we heard, who lost their husbands. Each one has a miserable story. Male farmers are just heart broken and tired of fighting but some are still looking for help. They look to sanity and humanity left in the world and Telangana people. They look towards us, the so called educated intelligent and powerful and influential in cities and big positions.
Ratnamala, renowned social activist, who presided the meeting rightly asked. Is it not an issue of whole people, an issue of we all people ? is it an issue of just these farmers of three villages or these women and their dying spouses?? SEZ has no laws, it doesn?t permit any law. Some say it is development and someone has to pay the price. Today we are buying 20 kg or 25 kg rice, if we develop do we eat computer chips?? how are we going to survive when cultivable land and the right of someone to live made thing for sale and stuff for somebody profit hunger? This is not less than any Hiroshima Nagasaki, she told. Many farmers complained of losing vision due some other company, Peddavagu got polluted, youth can?t see anymore. Perhaps its better to be blind than seeing all these tragedy watched by the world in shameless silence, i feel. Srinivas, a young activist, said they only had one day celebration in a year- pedda pandaga. Its called GAMPA JATARA. andari laaga memu anni panDagalu chEsukoni tinalemu. chelallaki pothamu..kammaga kokilalu koosthuntayi chuttuakkala We have community meal. But where do we go now? All trees and forests are replaced by companies, kampugotte companeelu (stinking companies). "maa bathukulu kukkalakanna heenanga unnayi" painunchi rendu roopayila biyyam, kinda nunchi bhumulu laguthunru. our MLAs pendlillaki ochi tini potaru gani, problems vasthe ayenkalla guda raaru". Kurmaiah, farmer says that 'polepalliki pillanevalu isthaleru'..uru wada, polam, pashuvulani chusi pellillu jaruguthai kada.. Its not just an economic issue. Its also social, cultural, ethical, health , environmental, women and child issue of Telangana and all regions. Friends. There are some SEZ are coming in Mahaboobnagar, Warangal and other districts.. I think we should respond immediately and stand with our people in distress. We need to support their struggle and save their lands, help them save their mother. We are not against development. Maa bathukulu maaku vadhileyyandi. Bangaaru katthi anee meda.
kosukuntamaa? Poor people cannot afford this development and let this development be done in rich peoples land and in rich regions and become more developed! We dont want such projects. Let them go to rich people's lands, who can still survive and become more developed and also understand the need of development. Now Telangana cannot afford any more of this exploitation and raakshasatvam.
Politicians will come and go, elections will come and go. If leaders are good, people will vote for them. votlu eyyam, inka etlu estham, says a Srinivas. Who will stop people's decision? They are the better people to judge their own lives. First prime important issue is to save Telangana.
Ratnamala rightly said that protesting imperialistic culture starts again from these farmers only. Forgot to mention one great soul Sri Upender Reddy (upa sarpanch) who supported and went with them everywhere. He did not have any threat for his land, Yet he stood with the people and was part of their struggle. He faced so many threats and passed away. Every farmer remembers him. Isn?t that enough for a person to live for eternity and live in the hearts of one?s people??? joharlu to him!! Some of us here along with Telangana Ikya Karyacharana Committee and other groups are trying to unite strengthen the struggle and mobilize support for the people of Polepalli and also join with people challenging SEZs across the state and country. Trying to gather people's support. You all know every support is required today for these people who are fighting injustice with barely any resource. They need moral, physical and monitory support. Each drop will make an ocean. All those people who are here in Telangana and abroad can contribute for this great noble cause.
Save Telangana! Save people, fight SEZs
Jai Telangana
Sujatha Surepally
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