AP Govt keen to settle NAOB oustees’ pending issues

Visakhapatnam: With the massive agitation of Naval Alternative Operations Base (NAOB) demanding for long pending assurances, the state government has started damage control measures to settle the issues. 

Ahead of general elections and YSRCP Chief YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s padayatra entering Yelamanchili constituency, the government is gearing up to attend the long pending issues of the oustees of NAOB.

Already, the NDA government, in last April, clarified that issues were not pending with the Centre and all the assurances and other listed sops have been cleared. With this, the families of various villages, who lost their livelihood, houses and rendered shelter less started agitation demanding that the state government clear all the listed sops in the MoU.

In view of the future challenges, the Indian Navy is constructing NAOB at Rambilli in Yelamanchili Assembly constituency for which several villagers lost their livelihood. While acquiring the lands of the village, the state government had assured promises, including employment to the qualified, houses, separate fishing jetty for fishermen, school and hospital to the oustees. However, except a very few promises, the government not attended majority of the assurances.

The meetings, which were held during the evacuation of the families from their native villages, including Revuvakada, Veesagantapalem, Devellapalem, PG Palem and fishermen villages, including Vada Narasapuram, Kothapatnam and Bangarammapalem, the district administration (during the tenure of the then Collectors Luv Agarwal and N Yuvaraj), agreed and listed in the MoU that the government would construct two fishermen jetties to the affected fishermen families, but in vain. The administration also accepted to pay compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the major son in the family, but not yet given, CPM state leader Ch Narasinga Rao disclosed the pending issues.

Joint Collector G Srujana called upon the leaders of the communities and NAOB Oustees Welfare Association and Left parties for discussion to settle the issues. During the four-hour long meeting, the Joint Collector assured to clear the issues listed in 2011 agreement. She also assured them that the issues would be reviewed every day till completion of the works. 

She also assured to convene a meeting on August 28 in the presence of the Collector to ensure employment in various companies which were involved in the construction of NAOB.

Drinking water in the rehabilitation colonies, roads and drainages would be provided and tenders would be called soon. As per the assurance, a residential school would be constructed at Panchadarla and already land was identified for the school, Joint Collector Srujana assured the leaders.

However, the compensation of Rs 25,000 to Rs 1 lakh for the fisher women of Gampa village would be decided after discussing with the government, Srujana said.