The land oustees in the villages under the proposed Mallannasagar reservoir are sceptical about the proposed amendments to GO 123 issued by the State Government. They feel that this is a foul play by the government to divert their attention.
“Why has the government not made any statement so far officially if at all the proposed amendments to GO 123 to include rehabilitation and resettlement are true,” asked Paripurnachary of this village who is active in leading the agitation against construction of the reservoir.
“We feel that the government has been making all out efforts to confuse the oustees by leaking some information for selected publications which have some credibility. While majority of the protesters are in a state of confusion, the government wants break them into groups and get an upper hand,” said Chandu Reddy of Erravalli village.
Alternate proposal
“Residents of many villagers have been opposing the construction of reservoir for the past three months and an alternative proposal came from Marri Shashidhar Reddy of the Forum for Utilization of Godavari Waters. He says that the Jawaharlal Nehru Lift Irrigation scheme in Haryana has been running successfully for the past four decades and why can’t it be replicated here as suggested by Mr. Shashidhar Reddy to reduce submergence? Why is the government opposing the proposal made by retired chief engineer Mr. Hanumantha Rao?” asked M. Mahipal Reddy also from Erravalli.
“Is the government really serious about addressing the problem? If so why can’t it implement Land Acquisition Act – 2013, instead of amendments to GO 123? Will all the provisions in LA Act be included in amendments?” asked G. Bhaskar, convenor of Mallannasagar Land Struggle Committee.
