Revenue and police officials of East Godavari district on Monday razed 24 pucca houses belonging to tribal families that had been living here for four decades. The action, carried out as part of the evacuation operations to make way for the Polavaram project, ran into stiff opposition by villagers.
Tension prevailed from 9 a.m. on Tuesday morning when more than 100 constables led by two Inspectors and four Sub-Inspectors cordoned off Angaluru village and bulldozers started bringing down the houses. The operation went on into the afternoon. Now the village is deserted with villagers barred from rummaging in the rubble. ASP Phakeerappa said a police post has been erected only to avoid any untoward incident. A mobile police party will keep a watch on the area. Protesting the operation, nine tribal youth including one Ramakrishna, his wife Ramya and seven others made a self-immolation bid to stop the bulldozing of their houses. Another tribal woman Vishnamma argued with the police and then complained of heart palpitations. Police foiled the immolation bid by the nine tribal villagers, and took them into custody, shifting them to hospitals in Seethanagaram and Devipatnam. The woman was taken to the Devipatnam hospital where doctors said she is not in danger.
The villagers said they have not received the compensation that is due to them. The government had pledged to pay compensation to tribal people living in Angaluru, Devipatnam and other villages as per a relief and rehabilitation (R&R) package outlined in 2006. However, the revenue machinery allegedly did not provide alternative land within 2 km away to the evictees as per the R&R Act. “We did not even get compensation for damage to our crops in the last six to seven years,” said Lakshman, a tribal farmer of Angaluru.
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Non-tribals too are demanding compensation as per an R&R package promised in 2014, which has a land-for-land provision.
Tribal villagers who were evacuated during 2006-2007, when Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy was at the helm of affairs, from D. Ravilanka, Paragasanipadu and Bodigudem villages only got pattadar passbooks but no land till date. East Godavari Collector H. Arun Kumar reviewed the situation.
9 tribal youth attempt self-immolation; Collector says outsiders behind the hue and cry