A group of victims belonging to Panthangi village in Choutuppal mandal of Nalgonda district today alleged that the noted GMR organisation has grabbed their land on the Vijayawada national highway.
Addressing media persons M M Goud, VV Sarma, B Sankar, K Rajasekhar Reddy alleged that their lands were taken over illegally by GMR for constructing toll plaza near Panthangi village last year. They accused the revenue officials and National Highway Authority of India authorities of colluding with the GMR in grabbing the land. Despite the denial of any compensation to the victims, GMR is further threatening other farmers to handover their land, they alleged. Besides grabbing 16 acres of land, GMR and NHAI were resorting to threaten farmers by erecting fencing to some other lands against their interests. Instead of setting up toll plaza along Chityal-Narkatpally stretch, they built it about 20 km from Panthangi and resorting to illegal collection of the toll tax.
They also alleged that the GMR has violated the agreement norms by laying a four-lane 40 km road from Malkapur to Vijayawada and one toll-plaza each at a stretch of 60 km along Vijayawada for 221 km. The state government should at least now intervene and do justice to the victims, they said. They will have to take up agitations against the GMR if they failed to get justice, they warned.(NSS)