KAKINADA: National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has instructed District Magistrate of East Godavari district to take appropriate action against officials who allegedly demolished houses of Polavaram Project affected families forcibly, without fulfilling norms of compensation and R&R packages.
Indian Association of Lawyers state executive member Inapurapu
Suryanarayana had lodged a complaint with NHRC on behalf of victims Kola Satyanarayana and Kola Samson of Kachuluru village in Devipatnam mandal of East Godavari district. The complaint pointed out that the victims are residing in Kachuluru village since a generation. They come under the definition of affected family as per sub clause (1) of clause (C) of section 3 under Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act 2013.
The primary source of livelihood of these fishermen by profession depends upon River Godavari. Their livelihood will be affected due to acquisition of their land for the Polavaram Irrigation Project. However, Devipatnam mandal tahsildar allegedly demolished their houses with JCB machines forcibly and illegally on January, 9, 2021, without following due process of law.
Thereafter, a division bench of AP High Court ordered the state government not to displace people from 276 villages, which will get submerged in backwaters of Polavaram Dam, and those living in scheduled areas, which are affected by implementation of the project, without giving complete effect to the rehabilitation policy.
This would necessarily mean that before dams are filled and villages submerged, affected persons will have to be rehabilitated, re-settled and compensated in accordance with the policy.
NHRC said the complaint must be transmitted to concerned authorities to take such action as deemed appropriate. The action must be taken within eight weeks and the associated complainant or victim should be informed about the action taken.
