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The local communities around Kolleru Lake have intensified their demand for the protection of their livelihoods and immediate rollback of government policies perceived as harmful to their existence. The leaders and activists are urging the government to reduce the contour level of the lake from the 5th to the 3rd contour, which they say is critical to safeguard both the environment and the livelihoods of thousands who depend on the lake.
The Andhra Pradesh Rythu Sangham, Andhra Pradesh Tenant Farmers’ Association, and the Andhra Pradesh Agricultural Workers’ Union jointly organised a round-table conference on Kolleru issues here on Thursday.
The conference adopted a few resolutions, including, the demand for cancellation of Government Order (G.O.) 120,which residents describe as a noose around their necks and a sword hanging over their heads. The G.O. has severely restricted the local communities’ traditional rights over land and water usage, the conference felt. (The Government of Andhra Pradesh issued G.O. Ms. No. 120 in 1999 to protect the lake from degradation and deterioration. It declared the lake as a bird sanctuary under the provisions of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972.)
The speakers stressed the need to restore the 146 fisheries societies established in 1970s and return 14,800 acres of assigned land to rightful beneficiaries. They demanded that the Assembly pass a fresh resolution on Kolleru and submit it to the Centre and the Supreme Court. They also called for action against pollution from nearby factories and the implementation of rural employment guarantee schemes in the affected areas.
The speakers criticised the government’s failure to provide compensation, employment, and basic amenities like roads, drinking water, and electricity to Kolleru residents. They also called for the withdrawal of the Eco-Sensitive Zone (ESZ) status in the Kolleru region, stating that it is harmful to the local population and impractical in its current form.
The conference was presided over by senior Rythu Sangham leader Y. Keshava Rao. CPI(M) State Secretary V. Srinivasa Rao, MLC Jayamangala Venkataramana, V. Krishnayya (president, Rythu Sangham), Dadala Subbarao and V. Venkateswarlu (AP Agricultural Workers’ Union), B. Balaram and M. Haribabu (Tenant Farmers’ Association), Ghantasala Venkatalakshmi (National Fishers’ Federation), and numerous grassroots leaders from Kolleru villages.
