No Compensation Forces Four Families to Reside in Three Villages of Kakinada SEZ

Kakinada: Just four families are residing in three villages under the Kakinada Special Economic Zone (KSEZ) area in U. Kothapalli mandal of Kakinada district falling within the Pithapuram Assembly constituency represented by Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan.

The families are living in isolation, have no social life and fear for their safety. They have not vacated their houses because they have not yet received any compensation for giving up their lands and houses to make way for the KSEZ. Neither have they received any relief and rehabilitation (R&R) packages.

However, rest of the villagers have vacated their houses and left. Authorities have demolished all the vacated houses but for those in which the four families are living. There are no basic facilities in these villages like street lights or water supply.

A wife and husband are living by themselves in the lone standing house in Karrivaripalem village in U. Kothapalli mandal. Two families in one house and another family in a hut are residing in Buchireddypalem in the same mandal. One family is staying in Kollavaripalem.

These four families have submitted representations repeatedly to the state government and through the public grievance redressal system as well. But the government has not responded.

P. Veerreddy of Karrivaripalem village said that as soon as the government clears R&R package and pays compensation to him, he would vacate the village. Veerreddy and his wife Venkata Lakshmi live isolated in the village that has been vacated by all other residents.

“I used to cultivate mango, sapota and casuarina and earn ₹5 lakh to ₹7 lakh per year. But now I have become a daily wage labourer. My wife Venkata Lakshmi is rearing goats and hens. The government is forcing us to live in misery in the name of KSEZ,” Veerreddy lamented.

He said during 2014–19, Jana Sena chief K. Pawan Kalyan had promised to resolve his problem. “Now, he has been elected as MLA from Pithapuram and is also the Deputy Chief Minister. I am hoping he will find a solution,” said Veerredy.

In Buchireddypalem, families of two brothers P. Subbireddy and Lova Reddy are residing in a house. They have submitted representations repeatedly to the government, but in vain. “We are living in the village by ourselves in a terrifying environment, where there are snakes, wild boars and foxes,” said P. Jala Rajeswari, who has done her B. Sc. and B. Ed., while her husband Lova Reddy is B. A. B.Ed. They have two children studying in a private school at Pithapuram.

Rajeswari said after 4 pm, they are not able to come out from the houses.

In Kollavaripalem village, a family of six headed by Konala Bhushanam is living isolated in a house, as they also did not get any compensation. Bhushanam is a daily wage labourer.