Displaced lay siege to Collectorate

Eluru: Thousands of displaced people from Kukunuru and Velairpadu mandals which are going to get submerged under the Polavaram Project thronged the District Collectorate on Monday, causing tension near the Collectorate.The agitators laid siege to the Collectorate not allowing anyone to go inside or come out of the office.

Highlights:

• People belonging to 39 villages in Kukunuru and Velairpadu mandals stage protest as their names were not found in the list prepared for R and R Package
• About 2,000 villagers take part in protest
• They call off the protest after the officials assure them that a resurvey would be conducted and justice would be done to them

Velairpadu and Kukunuru mandals were merged in West Godavari district after the bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh in view of the submergence of these mandals under Polavaram Irrigation Project. The officials have prepared the list of eligible people to finalise the R and R package.

However, about 39 villages in Kukunuru and Velairpadu mandals did not figure in the list that was prepared by the officials. The people of the villages from the two mandals alleged that the officials removed the names of eligible people and included ineligible persons.

Following the irregularities in the lists, around 2,000 people from the Kukunuru and Velairpadu mandals reached Eluru Collectorate on Monday morning.

They demanded that the officials give assurance on re-enumeration for implementation of R and R package as names of many genuine beneficiaries were removed from the list.

They demanded that the Collector should give clear assurance on the R and R package. They staged dharna up to 1.00 pm on Monday. As no officials came out to address their grievance, the irate project displaced people proceeded into the Collectorate.

They pushed the barricades arranged by police at the Collectorate road and reached the main gate of the office. The police immediately tried to stop them from entering the Collectorate.

Eluru DSP Gogula Venkateswara Rao tried to convince the agitators but in vain. The agitators again went to the main gate of the Collectorate. The police informed them that the Collector was attending a meeting.

However, the villagers started raising slogans against the government and demanded that their names should be included in the list of eligible persons and cover them under the R and R package.

On the instructions from the officials, police told the agitators that they will allow their leaders to meet the Collector. However, they did not listen to the words and told the police that all of them should meet the Collector.

DSP Gogula Venkateswara Rao and other officials went into the Collectorate and told the Collector about the situation.
Meanwhile, the villagers entered the Collectorate and reached Collector’s chamber. With this, Joint Collector P Koteswara Rao and DRO Katta Hymavathi came out of of the Collector’s chamber and held a discussion with the agitators.

Joint Collector Koteswara Rao assured them that a resurvey for the R and R package will be conducted soon in the two mandals.

Eligible persons would be provided justice, he assured. “We have conducted the survey according to the rules. However, it is unfortunate that thousands of people did not find place in the eligible list of R and R Package. I will look into this matter and will try to sanction the package to every eligible person in these mandals,” the Joint Collector said.Following the assurance, the Polavaram displaced people withdrew their agitation.