Ordeal returns to haunt Pulichintala evacuees

Owing to delay in implementing R&R package several families reluctant to move out of villages. A recent order issued by the State government further delayed the sanctioning of bills. The government has decided to reimburse the bills directly into the accounts of beneficiaries.

Waters gushing out of Pulichintala Reservoir on Tuesday. Irrigation engineers said discharges touched 1.55 lakh cusecs. Photo: T. Vijaya Kumar

The familiar ordeal of packing their belongings and leaving their homes has returned to haunt evacuees of Dr. K. L. Rao Sagar multipurpose (Pulichintala) project. As the flood discharge at Nagarjunasagar reached one lakh cusecs, the Krishna rose menacingly and the swirling waters entered the villages lying in the catchment area of the project.

Leaving the men behind to take care of the houses, women and children, who had moved to upper ground on September 13 returned to their homes on Wednesday.

But this has been the case for the last 10 years and the delay in implementing the Relief and Rehabilitation (R&R) package, frequent change in policies of disbursement of allowances and the reluctance of displaced families to move to new and unfamiliar places has only compounded the problem.

“It has been 10 years but the government has not completed R&R package. We have not been paid bills to construct houses. How can the government expect us to move away from villages? Moreover, we have invested huge money in raising cotton crops in 6,000 acres. Who will compensate for the loss due to submergence of our fields,” asks Chimata Saidulu, from Bodhanam village.

“If it takes more than 10 years to implement R&R package for about 20,000 families in 15 villages, I wonder if the tall claims of the government in building a capital region will come true,” wondered former MP Y. Sivaji.

A recent order issued by the State government further delayed the sanctioning of bills. The government has decided to reimburse the bills directly into the accounts of beneficiaries. “We have already cleared the bills relating to construction of houses. We except the payments to be made in 2-3 days,” said a senior official.

After former Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy laid the foundation stone for the project in 2004, the district administration had identified 14 villages located along the river that could be submerged and started implementing the R&R package.

The villages were Bodanam, Gollapeta, Kamepalli, Kolluru, Pulichintala, Vellampalli, Chityala, Chityala Thanda, Eliampeta, Emmajigudem, Gopalapuram, Govindapuram, Regulagadda and Vemavaram.

Guntur Joint Collector Vivek Yadav said out of 4,788 families identified as project displaced, the district administration cleared R&R bills of 1,608 families.

Pending bills There were 2,415 families whose bills were yet to be cleared and 765 families whose bills were under processing.

Under the R&R package, each displaced family is entitled a housing allowance of Rs. 53,000, Rs. 90,000 under IAY, cattle shed allowance of Rs.3,000, transportation allowance of Rs.5,000 and subsistence allowance for 240 days.

Evacuees would be rehabilitated in colonies with roads, power and water.

“Livelihood is a major issue with many families depending on agriculture. In R&R colonies, their livelihood options are limited and we are working on options to provide alternative livelihood,” admitted a senior official.