Villagers displaced by the Pulichintala multi-purpose project are disappointed over the overtures of both the governments of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on the issue of their rehabilitation and resettlement.
They feel that the Chief Secretaries of both the States, who met last week to discuss this issue, had washed off their hands by announcing a meagre package of Rs. 20 crore and by reducing the water storage level to 7.5 tmcft in the project limiting the submergence of villages.
But the money that is required to complete the Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) works of nearly 7,000 families from 13 villages is a staggering Rs. 140 crore. And there is a lot of work that remains to be done in the colonies to be set up under the RR packages.
According to estimates, the required amount of Rs. 140 crore includes individual benefits to the tune of Rs. 53.97 crore, infrastructure works at R&R centres of Rs. 65.42 crore and Rs. 20 crore for the remaining works.
Meanwhile, about 103 temples and 21 historical monuments located in these 13 villages are also set to submerge. The Endowments Department has sought Rs. 22.39 crore to translocate them while the Archaeology Department has sought Rs. 2.70 crore to translocate the monuments. So the total amount required to complete the R&R process goes over Rs. 165 crore.
The Irrigation authorities are permitted to store 11 tmcft water this year, but during the next southwest monsoon, they would impound 22 tmcft water against the total capacity of 45.77 tmcft. The next monsoon that commences on June 1 next is just nine months away. At 11 tmcft water storage, four of 13 villages submerged, but at 22 tmcft storage, most of the 13 villages would submerge.
Meanwhile, the construction works of 13 R&R Colonies to accommodate the displaced have been going on at a snail’s pace. Of the house sites sanctioned to 6,788 families, only 1,698 houses have been completed and only 808 have shifted to their new houses owing to lack of infrastructure facilities like electricity, drinking water supply and others at the new colonies. Shockingly, the construction of 2,204 houses are yet to be grounded.
