Betrayed over land deal, farmers protest

They waited for the factory to come up, hoping they could get employment and housing as per the agreement signed with the firm at the time of sale.

Now, they have neither jobs nor shelter. To rub salt into their wounds they came to know recently that the government has withdrawn the permission to start the sugar industry.

Virtual starvation and destitution compounded by a sense of betrayal led the farmers to take to the streets against the government on Wednesday. Hundreds of residents staged a protest in front of the deputy commissioner’s office, demanding return of their land and permission to cultivate it, so that they could get back their dignity and income.

The protesters alleged that over 200 acres of land was bought claiming to start the ‘Keerthi sugar industry’ and the buyer had signed an  agreement with the farmers who parted with the land on the offer of jobs, housing and other facilities.

“We depended on the land for our livelihood. Now we have nothing, no job, no shelter,” a protester said. They submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner demanding that their land be returned as the agreement had been breached.