6 days ago
HRF opposes land acquisition for Indosol project at Karedu
Opposing the State government's proposed plan to acquire agricultural lands at Karedu village of Ulavapadu mandal in Prakasam district for the Indosol Solar Private Limited's solar module manufacturing plant, the members of Human Rights Forum (HRF) and Rashtra Cheneta Jana Samakhya (RCJS) demanded to immediately call off the project.
The State government has already released multiple notifications to acquire the farm lands at Karedu and other villages. On Wednesday, they campaigned along with the villagers against the land acquisition of more than 8,500 acres in various villages for the proposed project. They addressed street meetings and distributed pamphlets to the local people.
Addressing the public, HRF Sate general secretary Y. Rajesh and secretary G. Rohith said that the State government is unnecessarily acquiring such a large extent of land when a fraction of it is enough for the project. They also pointed out that the government is facilitating a company that has no track record in taking up such a big project.
During the campaign, RCJS president M. Mohan Rao alleged that the government had taken an undemocratic decision to waive off the consent and Social Impact Assessment (SIA) requirements of the project. 'The legal standing of this waiver is on shaky grounds, given that such waiver can only be done in the public interest. Except providing gains to a private company, one is hard pressed to find any public interest in this project. This proposed project involves silica processing, which has been established as highly toxic and polluting,' he said.
The HRF and RCJS members questioned the government's largesse to Indosol Solar Limited to the tune of around ₹45,000 crore, which is a staggering 60 per cent of the total proposed investment. The alleged it as socialising costs and privatising profits to a private company.
Farmers meet Jagan
Earlier, farmers from Karedu met former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy at the party's central office in Tadepalli on Tuesday. They had submitted a request letter seeking his support in protecting their agricultural lands at Karedu from industrial use.
The farmers expressed strong opposition to the government's decision to allocate these lands for the project and explained that the area supports two crops a year and sustains thousands of farming and fishing families. They are afraid that the industrial takeover would threaten their livelihood and disrupt the local environment.
