Rain spells trouble for Kondapochamma oustees

Houses they were rehabilitated in are in a low-lying area

Medak, Telangana,16/07/2020:The rain water that stuck roads at the R&R Colony on July 12th, 2020in Siddipet District. Photo: Mohd Arif / The Hindu (Stringer)

It was mid-summer on May 8, when all of a sudden the skies opened up and rainwater started entering the houses of Kondapochammasagar reservoir oustees.

More than 30 families from different villages were given accommodation under the Rehabilitation and Resettlement at Tunkibollaram in Mulugu mandal as three villages — Mamidyala, Bahilampur and Thanedarpally, and one tanda — Thanedarpally, got submerged.

Though a majority of the oustees were allotted double bedroom houses as part of the package, those who fought for compensation under the Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act- 2013 (LA Act – 2103), were allotted houses constructed on 33 yards of the total 75 yards allotted to them.

The single-room houses were constructed in a low-lying area. As a result, the rainwater entered inside on three occasions — May 8, June 10 and July 12 — and the oustees had to spend sleepless nights. As many as 22 families are residing in these houses. Right from the first incident on May 8, the oustees have been lodging complaints with the officials about their plight but the response was not at the expected level.

“We were forced to leave our village on April 30 midnight and were dropped in these houses. Staying here is hell literally, and especially children and elders are affected the most when it rains. It’s not right on the part of the government to do like this. Do justice for us,” said a woman in a video recorded by local residents.

“For the first time, water was pumped from the spot and then a canal was dug behind the houses. Next time, they laid gravel on the road. These houses do not have drainage connections as well. For every house, there are only pits. Now they are laying the drainage pipelines,” said D. Raj Kumar, one of the oustees staying in these houses. “We are taking all steps to ensure that water does not stagnate when it rains. The canal work has been completed while drainage work is in progress. The engineers from different departments made the assessments and constructed these houses,” said a revenue official on condition of anonymity.