Babu dares CM to face farmers in Kakarapalli

Former chief minister and Telugu Desam Party president N Chandrababu Naidu on Wednesday repeated his demand that government must order a high-level judicial probe into the police firing on villagers in Kakarapalli in Srikakulam district on February 28.

Mr Naidu also demanded that the government announce a compensation of Rs 10 lakh as ex-gratia to the next of kin of the victims and Rs 5 lakh to the injured.

Talking to media persons after consoling the families of the victims, the TDP chief said that his party would extend its support to anti-power plant agitation taken up by the villagers.

The police firing on the villagers in Santabomali mandal in Kakarapalli village, Srikakulam district had claimed the lives of protestors who were agitating against the establishment of 2640 MW East Coast Power Plant citing environmental pollution.

Demanding strong disciplinary action against police officials responsible for the police firing, Mr Naidu urged the government to immediately withdraw police forces from the villages to bring the normalcy. He also demanded government to stop construction of power plant.

The TDP chief also lamented that the Congress had diverted the attention of House when he raised the police firing issue in the state Assembly.

Lashing out the Congress government for its failure in maintaining law and order in the state, he dared Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy to visit Kakarapalli and console the victims families.

The TDP chief also alleged that former chief minister YS Rajasekhara Reddy had converted fertile lands into waste lands by giving permissions to entrepreneurs to set up industrial units violating the environmental norms.