Tribals in merged mandals face untold misery

Kunavaram (East Godavari): The people living in submergence areas of under-construction Polavaram Project may have changed their State after the bifurcation, but not their fate as they continue to live in appalling conditions. Take the case of Kunavaram, one of the seven merged mandals that has no representative in the AP Assembly to bring the misery of the locals to the notice of the government.

Initially there were several problems in these mandals as the government had to grapple with the administrative hiccups such as allocation of employees and shifting of files from Khammam to East Godavari district. But now it’s been two-and-a-half year since the merger took place; however, the government failed to address the core issues such as drinking water, healthcare, roads and sanitation faced by the locals, predominantly aboriginals.

Eight of the 12 minor lift irrigation schemes on Godavari and Sabari rivers that cater to the irrigation needs of Kunavaram mandal have either become defunct or obsolete, thereby depriving scores of small and marginal farmers of assured irrigation facility. The Comprehensive Protected Drinking Water supply scheme that caters to the needs of 35 villages has gone defunct long ago.

As a result, people in the region have to consume muddy water or to purchase packaged water. On the other hand, the healthcare facilities in the mandal are far from satisfactory as all the primary and sub-healthcare centres are without adequate staff.

Speaking to The Hans India, Bhadrachalam MLA Sunnam Rajaiah, who hails from VR Puram mandal, said “All the drinking water and irrigation schemes are defunct. None of the Ashram schools and hospitals have adequate staff. The contract doctors are without salaries for the last five months. Travelling is a nightmare as roads in the region have knee-deep potholes.”

CPI (M) AP State secretary Penumalli Madhu said “The plight of people living in merged mandals indicates government’s apathy. It appears like that government was of the opinion that it’s waste to spend on infrastructure in this part of the region which may at any cost be submerged under the backwaters once Polavaram project is completed.”

He demanded the government to provide compensation to Polavaram displaced in accordance with the Land Acquisition Act-2013. The government should also provide compensation to those practicing Podu land.