Chairman of Telangana Joint Action Committee (TJAC), which spearheaded the movement for statehood to Telangana, along with the TRS, M. Kodandaram, has called for building a movement stronger than the one taken up for Telangana to protect the tribal communities being displaced by Polavaram project.
Speaking at the 30 death anniversary of Communist leader Chandra Pulla Reddy, organised by the CPI (M-L) New Democracy here on Sunday, Prof. Kodandaram said Polavaram project was the best example of the collusion of corporate and political powers to exploit natural resources even at the cost of destruction of forests and displacement of tribal communities.
Stating that exploitation of tribal areas was on in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana by suppressing adivasis, he said the communities needed the support of the entire society as they were not a position to protect themselves.
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He explained that the corporate interests had prevailed over the interests of farmers in Coastal Andhra in case of Polavaram project as it was designed to be the major component of proposed water way till Chennai and generation of hydro-electric power throughout the year at low cost.
Had irrigation been the sole objective of Polavaram project its design would have been different and capacity small, the TJAC chairman said, adding that the system of EPC (engineering, procurement and construction) was introduced for the purpose of dictating all major projects by corporate powers and contractors with the help of political powers.
“That’s the reason why we see corporate-politicians switching to parties in power regularly,” Prof. Kodandaram said.
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Transfer of 7 mandals faulted He also faulted the transfer of seven Polavaram submergence mandals of Khammam district in Telangana to AP without consulting the local people or the Telangana Government.