Left parties, led by CPI, CPI(M) and other peoples’ organisations launched a 30-hour hunger strike here on Monday on government’s apathy towards the issues concerning evacuees of various irrigation projects.
Amidst hundreds of slogan-shouting party workers from various parts of Andhra Pradesh, the leaders vowed to continue their fight until rehabilitation process taken up in a proper manner under the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
“This act has clearly provided provisions for proper rehabilitation of the evacuees. In fact it has candidly highlighted that no project should be grounded until the rehabilitation exercises were completed,” said former Minister and farmers’ leader Vadde Sobhanadreewara Rao.
He said the State government was keen on completing the projects, but was not addressing the issues of evacuees. “The government is revising the budget to suit the requirement of the contractors but not allocating money for rehabilitation. In the name of building a new capital city, the government was spending huge money on consultants but was not addressing the genuine demands of the evacuees.”
Mr. Rao said the government was resorting to a dangerous way of driving away the residents near the projects by letting water into their houses and cited the example of Gandikota reservoir in Kadapa district.
Dig at CM
CPI senior leader Narayana said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, who was reviewing the Polavaram project work on a weekly basis, was not having time to solve the issues of the displaced persons.
CPI State secretary K. Ramakrishna said even after a prolonged protest by 8,000 residents of Vamsadara, the government did not react. “The State government is using hundreds of policemen to quell the protests and it is using bulldozers to bring down houses. A minimum of ₹5 lakh is required a build a decent house but the government is offering a paltry ₹50,000 which is not sufficient.”
He said rehabilitation process was not completed right from Srisailam to Gandikota and cited government’s lack of will and absence of a competent machinery to carry forward the task as reasons for the present situation.
