Rangareddy: Affected families of Osman Nagar clamour for clarity over rehab plan

Rangareddy: The announcement made by the TRS and AIMIM leadership in Jalpally municipality regarding rehabilitation of victims from the Osman Nagar, the area submerged into water since the year 2020, has stirred an intense argument among the people of the area who are now clamoring for clarity over the proposed plan.

It is pertinent to mention here that an announcement was made on Monday by both local BRS and the AIMIM leaders that the affected people of Osman Nagar will be rehabilitated at a suitable place where they will be allocated patta lands upto 50 square yards. Apart from this, a financial assistance upto Rs.3 lakhs will also be approved to allow the affected families to build their own houses.

However, the announcement did not go well with the local people of Osman Nagar area who are still opposing the move citing clarity of the proposed plan.

“This is not the first time they placed the suggestion before us. However, we will remain opposed to the move. We have houses of different sizes from 100-800 square yards presently floating underwater while the leadership announced allotment of land upto 50 square yards which is not at all acceptable. Apart from this, the quantum of financial assistance of Rs.3 Lakhs each is also not sufficient to build a house,” Amjad Ahmed Khan, a resident of Saif-II Colony which remained inundated.

As per reports, there are nearly 400 houses, fully or partially, submerged in Osman Nagar Lake also known as Venkatapuram Lake. Dozens of families already vacated their houses, unable to withstand the situation that arises out of the increasing water level from time to time.

Delay in addressing the inundation issue has fuelled outrage among the affected families and the fresh spell of rains has added fuel to the already volatile situation. Amid the growing concern, the leaders from BRS and BRS parties on Monday announced that the affected families will be rehabilitated to suitable place where they will be allotted patta lands along with financial assistance upto Rs 3.Lakhs to build their houses.

However, no clarity over the place of rehabilitation and the alleged fewer amount of financial assistance made people worried who are now clamoring for clarity over the proposed plan to shift them to a safer location before taking a call on giving up their houses submerged into the water for two years.

Terming the announcement as a political gimmick played by the leadership, Abdul Bari, a community activist, said, “All these years, the political leadership failed to heed the sufferings of people from Osman Nagar area and the announcement came out of the blue just ahead of the proposed elections.”

As such, he said, the announcement made by the TRS and AIMIM leaders appears as a political gimmick to doze down the public anger before proposed elections in a few months as the declaration was made without any written assurance in the shape of a government order.

Taher Affari, a senior leader of the area said, “Presently the local leaders and the well-wishers of the area are busy discussing the modality of rehabilitation before putting an amicable proposal before the minister and pursuing the affected families for proposed shifting of the location. There were apprehensions about the location where the affected people will be relocated as the people feel that the present location is very close to the city and much lively in terms of transportation and few other required necessities to carry out day to day life.”