Hyderabad: Tribals, who stand to lose their land on account of land acquisition for irrigation projects and other development programmes, have been offered a higher compensation package by Telangana state Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao.
Mr Rao announced that the government will pay twice the sum of the registration value of the land. He said the government was even ready to pay Rs 4 lakh per acre, if the registration value is Rs 1 lakh.
Mr Rao chaired the first meeting of the Tribal Advisory Council at the Secretariat on Saturday. Tribal MPs and MLAs, besides senior officials in the CMO, attended the meeting.
Officials informed the Chief Minister that nine villages face the threat of submersion on account of Pranahitha Chevella project in the state. Mr Rao asked the officials to deposit compensation amount in banks in advance for speedy disbursal to the displaced.
“We want to offer a bestever package to tribals who lose their lands on account of Pranahitha-Chevella project. We will pay two times more than the registration value. Under this package, they will get Rs 4 lakh per acre, if the price is Rs 1 lakh per acre now. This is more than the package being offered by neighbouring Andhra Pradesh and even the Centre,” Mr Rao said.
Officials told the Chief Minister that there will be seven reservoirs under this project and nine villages will face the threat of submersion, and 789 tribal families will be displaced.
Mr Rao asked the officials to notify the list of affected families in advance and submit the details to public representatives. The council later gave its approval for the Pranahitha Chevella project. Mr
Rao also told the council that the government was committed to fulfil its poll promise of according ‘gram panchayat status’ to tribal thandas and gudems. He also directed the officials to fill the SC/ST backlog vacancies in various departments at the earliest.
