Kakinada: The survey on the Polavaram project-affected villages has started in Yetapaka revenue division under the Chinturu ITDA limits. The division consists of four mandals -- Chinturu, VR Puram, Kunavaram and Yetapaka -- which were merged in East Godavari of Andhra Pradesh from Telangana after the 2014 bifurcation, due to implementation of the Polavaram project.
The survey will be held in two phases. The first involves enumeration of houses, human beings and lands by revenue department staff. Later, engineering department staff will take house measurements and other constructions in the villages to assess property value.
The villages come under the 41st contour and 45th contour levels.
The people of these villages -- tribals and non-tribals -- have appealed to the government to bring them under the 41st contour and complete the resettlement and rehabilitation process as also land acquisition and shift them to the rehabilitation colonies immediately. Due to the construction of the Cofferdam, the backwater flow towards their villages posed a big problem and these villages may be submerged, they fear.
ITDA project officer of Chinturu, Venkata Ramana, said the survey by revenue officials started and the people are being informed through village secretaries and village volunteers about the dates for each area. Some 21 villages will be covered in the 41st contour and 54 villages in the 45th contour.
The survey has been completed in six villages and it was on at Sabari-Kothagudem village. After completion of the preliminary survey by revenue officials, the final survey will be done by the engineering department. Grama Sabhas will be held to take the opinion of the people. If any objection is raised by them, it will be discussed and sorted out.
About fixing of age of maturity (18 years) for the beneficiaries, a date will be fixed for discussions. A new app will be created to upload the details and the survey will be expedited.
The preliminary survey will be completed by the end of July as the survey of 1,000 houses was already completed out of 12,000 households in the Chinturu ITDA limits. The backwaters or the flood waters have not entered into the villages so far. “The village people are asking that they be taken to the rehabilitation colonies soon. These colonies are getting readied. The ITDA will soon make arrangements in this direction,” the official said.
