Land acquisition delays rehabilitation of oustees

New Delhi: Relief and Rehabilitation for Phase-I of the Polavaram project displaced has not fully been done due to delays in land acquisition. Only 11,677 families have been given the benefit till February, 2023. Minor members of the displaced families' category at the time of notification would not be eligible for a change in status after attaining 18 years of age later.

This was disclosed by the Union minister of state for Jal Shakti, Prahlad Singh Patel, in reply to a question of YSRCP member of Lok Sabha, B Venkata Satyavathi, here on Thursday. The minister said that the Revised Cost Committee of the Centre had ascertained requirement of land to be acquired for the project as 1,27,263 acre against which, up to February, 2023, 1,13,119 acre was reported to have been acquired and the balance was under different stages of acquisition.

As per the present completion schedule, the timeline for acquisition of balance land was December, 2023. As far as relief and rehabilitation was concerned, out of 1.06 lakh project displaced families, 20,946 families would be affected by filling-up of the reservoir in Phase-I, i.e., up to EL (elevation level) 41.15 metre.

The state government had informed the Centre earlier that a few representations had been received from individuals of the project displaced families who had attained the age of 18 years subsequent to the notification, to be considered as separate family units entitled to all the benefits accruing to the displaced families of the project.

The minister stated that such persons who were below 18 years of age on the date of preliminary notification, were not eligible to be notified as project displaced or affected families. Hence, such persons who were making representation for seeking such a status, were accordingly being informed by the project authorities.