SEZ woes and people’s resistance in AP

- Sujatha Surepally

Polepally team traveled across the state to interact with people fighting against Special Economic Zones, displacements. We interacted with groups in Kakinada SEZ, Krishnapatnam SEZ, Eruru, few others SEZs in Nellore and Polavaram dam displaced adivasis in Bhadrachalam. We are asking seeking the support of all anti-SEZ groups to the Polepally struggle. We need to mobilize all anti-SEZ forces against the state government that is possessed by SEZ madness.

Latest on Polepally SEZ agitation

- Sujatha Surepally

Not a day passes by without Polepally issue being featured in the media. Some of these news are about the Polepally SEZ fighters and few are also about how govt. and petty leaders are trying to weaken the agitation.

The Mahabubnagar district Collector is hell bent upon distributing Rs. 70,000 – a part of the hurriedly stitched ‘rehabilitation Package’ after Polepally farmers organized a public hearing (Jan Sunwai) in August. She is using all her tactics to lure the farmers and dilute their fighting spirit. It should be remembered here that Polepally farmers have rejected this so called ‘Rehabilitation Package’ simply because the only thing that the govt is giving them under this ‘package’ is a lease-hold on 200 SQ. Yds of land and Rs. 70,000 to construct a house. The ‘Package’ is a classic case of how far govt’s rehabilitation packages are from reality. None of the Polepally farmers lost their houses for this SEZ. Almost all of them have houses. No one understands why these farmers are given money to construct houses within the SEZ site. It should also be noted that the Pharma companies coming up in the SEZ cause a lot of pollution. And asking these farmers to stay beside such polluting factories is nothing but sadism.

The Farmer SEZ No!

By Appu Esthose Suresh and Payam S.

The Indian state has been thrown into a panic by agitating farmers who have declared war against the Special Economic Zones in States across the country. Facing lathicharges and bullets, the farmers have been coming out on the streets to protest the acquisition of fertile farmland and block the proposal that the Governments are convinced will generate massive employment and increase India’s GDP growth by two per cent.

At stake are 150,000 hectares of mostly fertile land. The farmers are rallying around local groups and organisations in what many describe as a fight to the finish. The proposal to establish 513 SEZs is now seen to be an invasion of corporate greed. [Of these, only 250 have been notified.]

A farmer participating in one agitation just recently in Jhajjar, Haryana, told Covert, “One of our relatives has been paid compensation, but now the money is over. He bought mobile phones and other gadgets for the house and paid off the debts. He did not know how to invest and now he is a pauper without any means of livelihood. Money is not enough. How will we live without our land?”

Chiru may call on Polepally SEZ victims today

If he took Sircilla weavers by surprise last week on his maiden tour to get a first-hand account of their problems, Chiranjeevi in all probability might throw yet another surprise on Polepally special economic zone (SEZ) victims of Jadcherla mandal in Mahbubnagar district by calling on them on Thursday. While the Prajarayam party leaders are tightlipped about his schedule, sources said that the newly-crowned champion of the downtrodden might just plump for Polepally for his second tour to coincide with the ‘Bhoo Satyagraham’ stir launched by the SEZ victims in protest against the taking over of their land. The indefinite strike is being taken up by the Polepally SEZ Vyathireka Ikya Sanghatana. Sources said that Prajarajyam party insiders contacted Sanghatana leaders a few days ago, urging them to ‘talk’ it over with their leader Chiranjeevi. TNN

Courtesy: Times of India: 25th Sept 2008

Bhu Satyagraham by Polepally Farmers

The agitation against Polepally land acquisition which has been going on for the past 4 years has entered a decisive phase. Polepally farmers have used all forms of democratic protests to make their case heard. They have organized dharnas in front of MRO office, District Collector’s office and also APIIC head office in Hyderabad. In a novel protest form, 13 Polepally farmers have contested the recent Telangana Assemby By-election. 
 
From a stage where no one took notice of their agitation, Polepally has now reached a stage where every major political party, newspaper and television channel started supporting and extending solidarity to
the movement.
 
The farmers have now decided to organize a Bhu Satyagraham in front of the Pharma SEZ (being set up by APIIC with partnership of Aurobindo Pharma and Hetero Drugs) from the 25th of September 2008. This is going to be an indefinite protest until the farmers’ demands are met.

Demands:

• To scrap the Polepally SEZ and return the land to original land owners
• To compensate for the crop loss and the agony caused in the past 4 years
• To prosecute all the erring beaurocrats and public representatives who are involved in this land acquisition

Polepally SEZ Vyathireka Aikya Vedika requests everyone to extend their solidarity to this struggle.

The Beginning of the End !

Visited Polepally today with Vanaja and Vipul. Both are making documentary film of the struggle process. Their interest is inspiring. They plan to make a film of the struggle challenging the SEZ lords by people who are not sure of next meal. It will be a story of resistance movements in India. An account of heroic people’s challenge to globalization that’s making our society numb like killer tsunami.

Shame on You APIIC!

Every organization measures its success by the revenue it earns from sale of its products or services. But here is an organization in the South Indian State of Andhra Pradesh which makes money by selling off its own assets. And what’s more, all the ‘assets’ of this organization were grabbed from poor peasants forcibly.

Andhra Pradesh Industrial Infrastructure Corporation (APIIC) is a state owned organization set up to promote industries in Andhra Pradesh. APIIC was an ailing public sector undertaking until recent times. Then suddenly, one fine mornining the bosses of APIIC got an ingenious idea to make a quick buck. Sell its assets! So, APIIC dug up its old files to know where all it has acquired land for ‘public purpose’ and then started selling these lands.

Polepally Map

Here is a map that locates the Polepally SEZ within the APIIC Green Park near Jadcherla, Mahabubnagar district in the South-Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.

Polepally SEZ on Wikimapia

Polepally farmers reject fake house deeds !

Land deeds distributed to the polepally farmers

Today farmers held a dharna (protest) in front of RDO office with the so called ‘house pattas’ thrust on them on Saturday. About hundred villagers threw the ‘pattas‘ (land deeds) and told the officials that they cannot be cheated with cheap tricks.

The patta of house sites are in the name of APIIC. According to the deed, the farmers cannot sell these house sites or gift to anyone, they are not the owners of the house sites. They are at the mercy of the APIIC forever and have to live there as witness to the mushti (alms) of the APIIC. Houses will be constructed the way APIIC likes to build.

Land From Landless

The Andhra Pradesh government has forcibly acquired land allotted to landless Dalits for an SEZ, reports MANSHI ASHER

Courtesy: Tehelka Magazine

“We, Polepalli SEZ Vyathireka Aikya Sanghatana are contesting these elections as we find all political groups have cheated the poor farmers and are responsible for their deaths. All political parties are silent on this major crime that’s taking the lives of people in the name of the SEZ.”

THESE ARE the opening lines of a press note issued by a group of 13 Dalits — three of them women — of Polepally village in Andhra Pradesh’s (India) Mahbubnagar district, who stood as independent candidates in the recently held by-election for the Jadcherla Assembly. So why 13 separate candidates? Did they actually expect to rake in any votes at all? Twenty-five-year-old Srinivas, to whom this question was posed, was prompt in his response, “The idea was not to win. The idea was to spread the message that we had no faith in the existing leaders and parties. We also wanted to split the votes of the dominant parties who are responsible for the state our people are in today”. It was probably one of the most audacious and creative strategies that a grassroots movement has used in recent times to challenge existing power structures.

CAG Twist in Polepally SEZ Land Acquisition

The Comptroller and Auditor General’s report for year 2007 has severely criticised the Andhra Pradesh state government for misleading the central government with respect to the Polepally (Jadcherla) Pharma SEZ. The report validates the claim of protesting Polepally farmers that the state government has not acted in a transparent manner in land acquisition for this SEZ.

సెజ్‌ బాధిత రైతుల బతుకు ఘోరం – నాగబాబు

సెజ్‌ బాధిత రైతుల బతుకు ఘోరం - నాగబాబు

బడాబాబులకు పేదల భూములు

పరిహారంతో తిరిగి పొలం కొనగలరా?
సెజ్‌ బాధిత రైతుల బతుకు ఘోరం
చావే దిక్కయ్యే పరిస్థితి
బాధితులకు మనం మద్దతివ్వాలి
నాగబాబు వ్యాఖ్యలు

హైదరాబాద్‌, న్యూస్‌టుడే: ప్రత్యేక ఆర్థిక మండళ్ల(సెజ్‌ల) పేరుతో పేద రైతుల భూములను బడా బాబులకు కట్టబెడుతున్నారని సినీ నటుడు చిరంజీవి సోదరుడు నాగేంద్రబాబు విమర్శించారు. ”వారిచ్చే పరిహారంతో తిరిగి పొలం కొనుక్కొనే పరిస్థితి లేదు. పని దొరక్క, ఆహారంలేక జడ్చర్ల లాంటి చోట్ల బాధితులు మరణించడమే శరణ్యమయ్యేలా ఉంది. సెజ్‌లు ఏర్పాటవుతున్న ప్రతిచోటా దారుణమే. మత్స్యకారుల బతుకు ఘోరం. ఇలాంటి బాధితులందరికీ మనం మద్దతివ్వాలి. చిరంజీవి స్పందించి, బాధ్యత తీసుకొని రాబోతున్నారు. ఆయన్ను అనుసరించే వారందరికీ బంగారు భవిష్యత్తు ఉంటుంది” అని పేర్కొన్నారు.

Video: Polepally SEZ Displaced Farmers Satyagraha

జులై 7, 2008 నాడు APIIC ఆఫీసు ముందు పోలెపల్లి సెజ్ బాధిత రైతుల సత్యాగ్రహం వీడియో.

Displaced farmers of the Jadcherla Green Industrial Park (Polepally SEZ) staging a protest in front of the APIIC Headoffice in Hyderabad.

దళారీ ప్రభుత్వమిది

నయా జమీందారీ వ్యవస్థను నెలకొల్పారు
ప్రజలు గుణపాఠం చెప్పాలి
‘పోలేపల్లి’ సత్యాగ్రహంలో దేవేందర్‌ ధ్వజం
సెజ్‌ను రద్దు చేయాలని బాధితుల డిమాండ్‌

హైదరాబాద్‌ – న్యూస్‌టుడే

పేదల భూములను బలవంతంగా లాక్కుని, ఎక్కువ ధరలకు విక్రయిస్తున్న వైఎస్‌ ప్రభుత్వం ‘నయా జమీందారీ’ వ్యవస్థను నెలకొల్పిందని మాజీ హోం మంత్రి టి.దేవేందర్‌ గౌడ్‌ విమర్శించారు. పరిశ్రమల అభివృద్ధికి మౌలిక సదుపాయాలు సమకూర్చాల్సిన ఏపీఐఐసీ వంటి సంస్థలు దళారీ పాత్రను పోషిస్తున్నాయని ధ్వజమెత్తారు.

ఎలుగెత్తిన పోలేపల్లి

గెలుపు తారుమారు చేసిన సెజ్‌ ఓట్లు

(ఆన్‌లైన్‌, మహబూబ్‌నగర్‌) పోలేపల్లి పోరు గెలిచింది. ఎన్నికలలో విజయా లు ఎలా ఉన్నా పోలేపల్లి సెజ్‌ బాధితుల పోరాటం నెగ్గింది. బాధితులు ఓడినా సమస్యకు పరిష్కారం దొరికింది. మహబూబ్‌నగర్‌ జిల్లా జడ్చర్ల ఉప ఎన్నికలను సెజ్‌ సమస్య కుదిపేసింది. అభ్యర్థుల గుండెల్లో రైళ్లు పరుగెత్తించింది. అనుకున్నట్లుగానే సమస్య గెలిచి ప్రధాన అభ్యర్థుల గెలుపును తారుమారు చేసింది. తమ జీవితాలను రోడ్డుకీడ్చిన సెజ్‌ను ఎత్తివేయాలని, తమ జీవితాలకు మేలు చేయాలని పోలేపల్లి గ్రామాలకు చెందిన సెజ్‌ బాధితులు 14 మంది జడ్చర్ల ఉప ఎన్నికల్లో పోటీ చేశారు. పోలేపల్లి, గుండ్లగడ్డ తండాకు చెందిన 200 ఎకరాల భూమిని ఫార్మా సెజ్‌కు కేటాయించారు. దీనికి పరిహారం కూడా తక్కువ మొత్తంలోనే చెల్లించారు. గ్రోత్‌సెంటర్‌ కోసం తీసుకున్న భూమిని సెజ్‌కు కేటాయించారు.