Hyderabad: On the seventh day of the Telangana Assembly’s monsoon session, legislators took up discussions on palm oil cultivation and Section 22A lands. The Assembly had been adjourned on September 12 and resumed proceedings on Wednesday, September 16.
Section 22A discussion
Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy had spoken at length about the Section 22A prohibited lands issue in the Assembly on September 12. The discussion was resumed on September 16.
Communist Party of India (CPI) MLA Kunamneni Sambasiva Rao said that there are a total of 2,49,76,000 acre of land in Telangana. This includes forest lands, assigned lands, government lands, Part-B lands and private lands.
He said that while a narrative is being built that one crore acres has been put under the prohibited list, the issue at hand only pertains to 3,73,930 acres of private land. There cannot be any changes in forest lands or assigned lands, he said.
Rao said he was not supporting the government but is stating the facts so that people do not have misconceptions.
He also urged the government to gather details on the Nizam’s land, Bhoodan lands, and area under lakes and ponds. He said that if assigned lands were acquired by affluent people, the properties must be recovered so that the poor can benefit.
He said that farmers have been ousted for irrigation projects like Sri Ram Sagar Project and Nagarjunasagar and urged the government to conduct a forensic audit to check if the lands were used for the project or fell into the hands of contractors.
Oil palm cultivation
MLAs brought up issues being faced by farmers for palm oil cultivation and processing in various districts, like trees touching overhead wires and a lack of refineries.
Station Ghanpur MLA Kadiyam Srihari urged for a palm oil refinery in the erstwhile Warangal district.
Replying to the questions raised, Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao said that a refinery can be set up if oil palm is harvested over 10,000 acres. He remarked that some MLAs have also taken up palm cultivation and added that factories will be set up if the crop is cultivated over 10,000 acres.
Currently, there are six factories in the state and construction of 14 more is underway. Each can be set up in a span of six months.
On Minimum Support Price (MSP), he said that the state has requested the Centre to announce it.
Eight new Minority Study Circles to come up
Telangana Minorities Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin announced plans to establish eight new Minority Study Circles across the state. The new study circles have been proposed in Adilabad, Mahbubnagar, Nalgonda, Hanamkonda, Nizamabad, Sangareddy, Karimnagar and Khammam.
