Kakinada: With Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy visiting Polavaram Irrigation Project site on Monday, the affected and displaced families are pinning hopes that he would address their problems in right earnest. They feel that the cofferdam is nearing completion and water may be let out into the canals through gravitational flow by the end of the year.
However, problems of Polavaram affected families remain unsolved. Following the construction of cofferdam up to 39 metres above, backwaters have entered many villages in Devipatnam and Polavaram mandals.
Some villagers moved to safer places, although they have not received the rehabilitation, relief and resettlement packages. ‘Rehabilitation’ colonies are without basic amenities and the houses are also in a bad shape. Other problems include cut-off date for 18-year-old youth, allotting door numbers to only houses constructed moe than two years back and enumeration of houses above ‘full reservoir stones’ and others.
Ahead of elections, Jagan Mohan Reddy promised to pay Rs. 10 lakh to each family as an additional compensation, after he assumed office. Recently, the state government released Rs. 550 crore to victims under 41.5 contours, which has not covered all victims.
“In 2015, during the Telugu Desam regime, people were forcibly ecvauted from Angaluru village and shifted to a rehabilitation colony at Krishnunipalem in Gokavaram mandal. But, there were few infrastructure facilities. The then government acquired lands from Scheduled Tribes of Devipatnam mandal and also 1st ward in Tuni. But, they have not been given land-to-land compensation. Though some of the victims were given land-to-land compensation, the lands are in controversy. The victims now hope that Jagan Mohan Reddy would provide respite to them,’’ said All India Forward Block state secretary I. Suryanarayana.
Earlier also leaders like CPI state secretary K. Ramakrishna, CPM state secretary P. Madhu and others raised their voices and took up agitations. The villagers are staging agitations at Krishnunipalem R&R colony.
