NCST issue notices to Chief Secretary, Polavaram officials

Rajamahendravaram: The National Commission for Schedule Tribes (NCST) issued notices to the State government and other authorities the Polavaram Project on displacement of tribals without paying the Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R).

NCST issued notices to the Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh, Secretary to Central Water Resources and River Development and Ganga Rejuvenation Department, Polavaram Project Authority Chief Executive Officer and East Godavari District Collector on Rehabilitation & Resettlement (R&R) of people displaced by Polavaram Irrigation Project. The NCST commission issued notice after Talluri Venkata Reddy of Devipatnam mandal of East Godavari district filed a petition before NCST about the non – implementation of Rehabilitation and Resettlement under Polavaram Project in the district.

He said that that the authorities are trying to impound the water, forcible eviction on PDFs/PAFs against the provisions of act 30 of 2013 and recommendation of National Commission. In the report , he said that the Project Authority and Engineer in – Chief constructed an upstream cofferdam across river Godavari without fulfilling R & R initiative.

The tribals PDF /PAF were forced to evacuate from their habitations and erect makeshift huts in the nearby hillocks areas in the agency. The authorities dislodged and demolished 8 villages with heavy machinery during January, February 2021 and shifted to unfinished colonies without basic facilities under the directions of the special commissioner, R&R, WRD Vijayawada and District Collector, East Godavari.