Girijan families face threat of eviction

Kadiri: As many as 63 Girijan families staying in the Kutagulla village near Kadiri for the last 70 years have represented to the District Collector that they are being forced to be become shelter-less as their dwellings are close to the National Highway-42, where the Mudigubba-Anantapur highway works are on. The construction is being done by the R&B department and NHAI, which have reportedly arrived at a conclusion that 63 houses have to be demolished to make way for the highway.

The houses have been built on government land. A notification asking the house owners to vacate within seven days has been issued in the name of Joint Collector-2. The Girijan families have accused the Revenue and R&B officials of adopting a wait and watch approach on the issue of payment of compensation, while demanding a suitable inquiry and render justice to them. They have pleaded for return of their house-sites.

Interestingly, the R&B officials claim that the Competitive Authority of Land Acquisition law has come into the picture. In the light of this, the Girijans contend that the Revenue department should pay them compensation. Their plea has given rise to a question under whose jurisdiction the issue comes and who should pay compensation.

The Girijans have appealed to both the Revenue and R&B officials to hold discussions with government representatives to ensure payment of compensation. They stated that the houses had been built after a lot of toil by taking loans and that bank loans should be arranged for constructing dwellings after alternative sites are provided.

If this was not done they would be left with no option but to resort to suicide, the Girijans threatened. They warned of staging hunger strike along with their family members in front of the relevant government offices. The R&B in-charge SE, the EE of NHAI promised the families to discuss the compensation issue with the department concerned and render justice to them.