The Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham has demanded that the State government immediately provide fair compensation to all farmers who lost their lands for the construction of the Bhogapuram International Airport in Vizianagaram district and withdraw the ESMA restrictions imposed in the airport region ahead of the inauguration ceremony.

In a statement issued on Friday, Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham State president V. Krishnaiah and State secretary K. Prabhakar Reddy alleged that the government had “forcibly acquired” more than 2,830 acres of agricultural land for the airport project since 2015 without providing just compensation to affected farmers in accordance with the provisions of the 2013 Land Acquisition Act.

They said that farmers, agricultural labourers and local residents had collectively resisted the land acquisition process under the leadership of the Rythu Sangham, CPI(M) and Left parties, and accused the government of violating legal provisions while taking over lands.

According to them, several farmers had approached the High Court seeking compensation for assigned (DKT) lands on par with patta lands under the 2013 land acquisition law. The High Court reportedly delivered a judgment in favour of the farmers. However, the government had failed to implement the judgment and had not paid the rightful compensation to the affected families, they alleged.

The Rythu Sangham leaders questioned how the government and airport authorities, which had spent thousands of crores of rupees on the airport project, could claim inability to pay compensation to poor farmers whose lands were acquired for the project. They further alleged that the government invoked the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the Bhogapuram airport region to prevent farmers, agricultural workers and local residents from expressing dissent during the proposed inauguration of the airport by the Prime Minister. It strongly condemned what it described as an “authoritarian approach” by the State government.