Polavaram Tribal Oustees Fail to Get Justice from Officials

Kakinada: The Andhra Pradesh government has failed in addressing the problems of the Polavaram Project displaced families, mainly the Schedule Tribes.

The tribal people of Koruturu village in Jeelugumilli mandal of Eluru district are roaming around the collector’s office and the pleading with government officials to do justice, but in vain.

According to them, the state government acquired the lands of tribal people at Papikondalu area for the Polavaram Irrigation Project in 2009 and built rehabilitation colonies at Koruturu and other villages. The government also has given land-to-land compensation to the displaced families of tribal communities with an extent of 188 acres.

The families came to the colonies in 2022. But the problem began at Koruturu village. The government has given pattas to their lands for compensation. However, while they are entering the fields, a tribal person namely M Venkateswara Rao allegedly resisted them from entering their fields.

His contention is that the lands are being cultivated by the local tribal people for long years -- and if the present displaced families cultivate the lands, the livelihood of the local people will be lost.

A Polavaram irrigation project-displaced family member Mule Posubabu said that when they cultivated the lands with groundnut, the local leader destroyed the crop by bringing a lot of people from Buttayigudem mandal. When they raised a Palmolive plantation, the first time, he destroyed their crop. The second time, the plants were destroyed by spraying of chemicals, he said.

He said the state government left the Polavaram Project displaced families in dire straits and nobody was now in a position to to address their problems.

Due to the lack of livelihood and not being able to enter their fields, the tribal people are struggling hard for their livelihood due to lack of work. They should be able to eke out a livelihood. Else, the rehabilitation will be of no use.

Another victim, M Satyavathi, said all the victims approached the district collectors and revenue officials, and “they said that the government has given pattas to these tribal people as compensation of land-to-land under Polavaram project.”

They proposed that they would go to the fields and cultivate the crop, she said, and added that though the displaced families approached the police with complaints, they could not get justice.

She said local tribal leader Venkateswara Rao approached the court, claiming the lands belonged to them. But the government would not do justice to them. She appealed to all parties to address their problems.

Satyavathi requested chief minister Naidu, Deputy CM Pawan Kalyan and HRD minister Nara Lokesh to intervene and do justice to the displaced families.