THE peacefulness of the lush green fields of paddy and maize lining the road to Vemulaghat village in Telangana, India belies the anger of villagers protesting against the state’s plans to acquire about 21,000 acres of land for a reservoir. The Komuravelli Mallanna Sagar reservoir will irrigate 1.2 million acres of drought-prone land, according to state officials. Nearly a dozen villages will be submerged in the process, displacing more than 25,000 people, including those in Vemulaghat who have been protesting for more than three months. “If the state wants water, why should we be kicked out? This is our land,…
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