CPM seeks house sites for Visakhapatnam land evacuees

Visakhapatnam: The construction of the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant took shape after evacuating 68 villages and 17,079 homes spread over 22,266 acres, said CPM State secretariat member Ch Narasinga Rao.

Addressing media here on Monday, he recalled how evacuation exercise went on till 1990. "However, 95 families at Karanavanipalem and 24 families in Sanivada villages are yet to receive house sites from state government. For the past 30 years, these families have been living in a pathetic condition," Narasinga Rao stated.

Further, he pointed out that the state government was neglecting the people of these villages. "Despite sacrificing land in acres, the rehabilitation of those who gave away their sites for the VSP seems to be a far cry. Though there was a vast extent of land available for rehabilitation, only 107 square yards were allotted to each family," he lamented.

Narasinga Rao added that even in job allotment, the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant has not fulfilled its promise of providing 50 per cent of technical jobs for the rehabilitants. "In the contract workers recruitment, the management of VSP has given the scope to sell away 50 per cent of the posts as per its whims and fancies," he said.

The CPM demanded that the State government should address the problems of rehabilitants with immediate effect, failing which they would intensify their protests.