Even as the Sripada Yellampalli project across the river Godavari at Ramagundam mandal is receiving heavy inflows into the project, the land oustees in Cheggam and Koti Lingala villages in Velgatoor mandal are reluctant to leave their villages stating that the Government had not provided them complete compensation and Relief and Rehabilitation package.
About 260 houses need to be vacated in Cheggam, Velgatoor, Mukatraopeta and Undeda villages in Karimnagar district.
Out of which, the highest number 184 of the houses were in Cheggam village mostly belonging to the Scheduled Castes.
Though, the Revenue authorities have issued warning through ‘Tom-tom’ and asked the villager to vacate their houses as the water level in the project was steadily increasing with the inflows from the catchment areas, but the villagers were not leaving their houses.
“How can we move out of the village without getting total compensation from the Government? We can construct the houses in R&R Colonies only if the Government releases the compensation”, said K. Chokka Reddy, a project oustee of Cheggam village.
However, the villagers are a worried lot over the heavy inflows into the project and the water nearing their village.
In the meantime, the Revenue authorities said that they had made arrangements for providing temporary shelter to the villagers of Cheggam at the new Zilla Parishad School building in the village. The villagers had never expected that the project would be filled so early and would displace them with the water entering their village soon.
The Yellampalli project was receiving steady inflows due to the incessant rains in the catchment area. Against the full capacity of 20.175 tmc, the project was presently storing 11.5 tmc of water.
Against the full reservoir level of 148 meters, the project water level reached 144.36 meters.
The inflow into the project is 8,000 cusecs and the outflow was only 400 cusecs leading to the increase of water level.
