HYDERABAD: About nine km from the catchment of Himayatsagar near Hyderabad, villagers are battling a peculiar problem because of GO 111: Getting their children married. Locals claim that the cap on land prices and restrictions on construction activity here, courtesy the 1996 government order, has become a major hurdle in finding alliances, especially for their daughters.
“Since most of the people here are farmers, their only asset is land. But they cannot liquidate it to fund their children's weddings because nobody is willing to buy their land. Reason: It comes under the GO 111 purview. In fact, the few showing interest are quoting very poor rates,” Prabhakar A, a local resident of of Bahadurguda (Shamshabad mandal) told TOI during a recent visit to some remote villages, still untouched by the hectic construction activity visible in other parts of the area.
And this is true of several villages dotting the mandal. Locals say, while land in other parts of Shamshabad are selling for at least Rs 2 crore per acre, all they are being offered is Rs 15 to Rs 20 lakh.
“The rich and powerful are conveniently flouting all norms and making money; it’s the poor that’s bearing the brunt of this 25-year-old directive,” rued Chiranjeevi Goud, a farmer of Chinna Golconda.
Issued in 1996 by the erstwhile AP government, the objective of GO 111 was to protect Hyderabad's drinking water sources - Osmansagar and Himayatsagar. The order, encompassing 84 villages, prohibits construction activity within a 10-km radius of the two water bodies.
