Rampa Agency: Lokesh lambasts govt for injustice meted out to tribals

Rampa Agency: TDP national general secretary and MLC Nara Lokesh asserted that the Polavaram project was not just a problem of 1.90 lakh tribal evacuees but a much bigger issue that would change the destiny of all the 5-crore people of the State.

On the second day of his tour to Polavaram project affected areas in East Godavari on Wednesday, Lokesh interacted with the affected families and enquired about the problems of the tribal evacuees at Rampachodavaram, Indukur, Pedavempalli and Devipatnam mandal in Rampa Agency.

During an interaction, the Indukur village oustees told Lokesh that the officials talked about release of Rs 50 crore package for their resettlement. But not a single family received a single rupee till now.

They were not making public the list of evacuees who were eligible for the package. They added that even drinking water was not being supplied and no burial grounds in the oustees' colonies.

Lokesh recalled that an all-party AP delegation started an agitation in Delhi in the past but the Jagan regime hurriedly released a GO to pay Rs 10 lakh package to each family. However, that turned out to be an empty GO. Not a single family received Rs 10 lakh.

Lokesh deplored that Andhra Pradesh became some sort of a mockery and laughingstock for Jagan. He shamelessly reneged on his promise of bending the necks of the Union leaders to get Special Category Status and crores of jobs to AP.

However, he brought 'Special Status' liquor bottles only to loot public. In the same way, this Chief Minister would not complete Polavaram but he might bring 'Polavaram' liquor bottles to mock at the people, he added.

Lokesh questioned the rationale behind the Jagan government completing just 4 percent works on the Polavaram project till now. The YSRCP regime spent just Rs 850 crore in the past two and half years, whereas, the previous Chandrababu regime spent Rs 11,000 crore during 2014-19. Prior to him, over three Chief Ministers spent just Rs 5,000 crore, he said.

Condemning the 'ill-treatment' of tribals, Lokesh said that the Adivasi villages were marooned and drowned because of the opening of the dam gates at 41.15 contour. Instead of preparing the tribal evacuees for this, the government brought brutal force on them to vacate the affected villages.

The situation was so pathetic in the evacuees' villages that the YSRCP ministers were not even daring to visit them. The TDP would continue its fight for justice to the tribals and the agitation would continue till package was given to the last oustee family.

Pedavempalli tribal evacuees told Lokesh that they were forcibly shifted to the resettlement colony after their houses were marooned in flood waters.

They were living for three months there but no support and not even essential commodities were being given to them. They were not having work opportunities.

Packages were not released despite many promises made by the officials. They were making rounds to the government offices but to no avail, he said.